


Captain Rylie's Vacation to Rishi

by songofdefiance



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Legends: The Old Republic (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Amputation, Because it's Star Wars, Brother-Sister Relationships, Canon-Typical Violence, F/F, Gen, Post-Star Wars: The Old Republic - Knights of the Fallen Empire, Supposed to be a road trip but it's really not that at all, Team as Family, someone loses a hand
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-28
Updated: 2019-04-28
Packaged: 2020-02-09 08:37:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 21,890
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18634630
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/songofdefiance/pseuds/songofdefiance
Summary: “Two of my advisors were the victims of an assassination attempt from people within the Alliance.  Until we ferret out the discontent in the ranks, I think it would be best if we send these people away.  With you, if possible.”Del took a moment to digest that.  Xeraye hadn’t stumbled over her words when she’d named these victims her ‘advisors’, but the fact that she wouldn’t name them outright was telling.  Not to mention that, if the attempt came from people within her organization, there were only two people who fit the picture Del was getting.“You want me to take the Terrible Two,” she said flatly.





	Captain Rylie's Vacation to Rishi

**Author's Note:**

> Me before writing this: this is gonna be a oneshot, so it shouldn't be that long
> 
> Me, 58 pages later: shit
> 
> So! Here we go, I'm finally foraying back into SWTOR. If you're familiar with my past works for his fandom, know that this doesn't connect to those. This has a completely different set of OCs. S'kora, Kulah'ni, and anyone you're familiar with from my old stories don't exist here. 
> 
> A bit of background: this is the first of an anthology series I'm going to be writing for the foreseeable future. Each story will focus on different characters and different relationships that take place at various times in my ficverse. In particular, this one is set after KOTFE ends. It is largely canon compliant up until Chapter 16 of KOTFE, where Arcann and Vaylin are both captured by the Alliance instead of what happens in canon. After their capture, Zakuul's throne goes to their second cousin Natrilla, who is only 18. 
> 
> In spite of this, Zakuul is still a force to be reckoned with, and the Alliance is still needed. 
> 
> I spent a lot longer on this than I meant to, but I'm very happy with the result. I'm hoping you will be too. Let me know what you think!

It was rare for there to be a quiet moment on the  _ Seiryunn _ .

Populated as it was by both insomniacs and passengers with varying sleep schedules, there was normally noise of some kind.  Now, however, the only sound that could be heard was the low hum of the hyperdrive engines. It pervaded every space: the sabacc table, the bar, the cargo hold.  The faint smell of alcohol drifted through the air, leftover from one of the crew’s usual post-successful-run parties.

The silence was due to the fact that said crew were sleeping the booze off.

In the ship’s cockpit, the hum of the engines was interrupted by Del banging her head against the controls.

“Stupid...”  Thud. “Kriffing...”  Thud. Her voice subsided into grumbles.  She’d stared at the star chart in front of her long enough to make her go cross-eyed, but she still couldn’t make heads or tails of it.  Okay, so maybe she was still a little bit drunk. But only a little.

It didn’t make sense.  According to what she was looking at, the Iokath system seemed to appear and disappear at random intervals.  One minute its star was there, the next it was gone, and the planet with it. She groaned, rubbing at her temple.  

Why had Xeraye even sent her this?  As if she’d be able to make heads-or-tails of it any more than the Alliance’s lead scientists.

Just as she was thinking longingly of passing out in her bed, her holocomm chimed.  She checked the frequency and groaned again before answering.

The Togrutan woman who appeared before her was dressed in plain black robes.  Not the sort of thing that Xeraye would’ve been caught dead wearing back when Del was dating her, but these days it was all she wore.  Xeraye insisted on living frugally as long as she was Alliance Commander. Her hands were folded behind her back, and her face was smoothed free of any expression.

“Captain Rylie,” she said.  

Del leaned back in her chair, suddenly wishing she’d gone to bed with the rest of the crew.  “Seriously, Xeraye?” she asked, glancing at her chronometer. “It’s... what, 3 AM Odessen time?  Go to bed, for kriff’s sake.”

“I will take the liberty of not pointing out the hypocrisy of that statement,” Xeraye replied.  More softly, she asked, “How are you, Del?”

“I’m drunk.”

That earned her an uncharacteristic snort.  “I suppose that’s my price for calling without checking with you first,” she said.  “I take it your latest job went well, then?”

Cheering up a bit at the reminder, Del grinned.  “You betcha. Got those medical supplies in right underneath the Star Fortress’s nose.  Scared the crap out of a few of the local fauna, though, there was a bit of an  _ issue  _ with that, but the worst that happened was that Corso got pooped on.”

“How dire.”

It was Del’s turn to snort.  She had missed Xeraye’s dry sarcasm.

“So what’s up?” she asked.  “I’m guessing that the all-important Alliance Commander didn’t call me just to ask how I’m doing, or reminisce about old times.  You need some help with something?”

Del was in the Alliance’s employ, loosely speaking.  She had some deals going with Hylo, anyway. The only other thing had been Beniko’s message with the star chart attached, asking her for her input on it.  Hence her recent string of headaches. It was unusual for Xeraye herself to call, even when it had to do with the Alliance.

Xeraye inclined her head.  “To business, then. I wish to inquire as to whether you have any... passenger openings available, at the moment.”

Oh boy.  “Back up a sec,” Del said.  “What happened? C’mon, I’m a great listener, tell me.”

Xeraye sighed, her shoulders slumping.  “There was an incident, today,” she began.  She sounded reluctant to tell the tale, but Del wasn’t about to go into a job blind - not even for Xeraye, fond as she was of her.  “Two of my advisors were the victims of an assassination attempt from people within the Alliance. Until we ferret out the discontent in the ranks, I think it would be best if we send these people away.  With you, if possible.”

Del took a moment to digest that.  Xeraye hadn’t stumbled over her words when she’d named these victims her ‘advisors’, but the fact that she wouldn’t name them outright was telling.  Not to mention that, if the attempt came from people within her organization, there were only two people who fit the picture Del was getting.

“You want me to take the Terrible Two,” she said flatly.

Xeraye winced.  “I had hoped you might drop that nickname after they pledged allegiance to the cause.”

Del smirked, without mirth.  “I don’t drop nicknames.”

“Del,” said Xeraye.  “They are aware of how lucky they are to be walking free, even now.  They will not give you any trouble. It will likely only be for a week or so, possibly less, and then you need only to deliver them back to Odessen.  You’re truly our best option - in spite of your operations against the Eternal Empire, you keep a low profile.”

“I got jobs lined up,” Del warned.  “I’m not about to abandon them just for the Terrible Two.”

“You are, of course, welcome to continue with whatever business you have.  Or perhaps you could take a short vacation. Whatever you decide, I trust that they will not protest.”

Del groaned, and thumped her head against the console for good measure.  She was still too drunk for this conversation, but there really  _ wasn’t  _ a good reason for her not to accept.  Except for the part where she’d been a thorn in Arcann’s side for a good five years.  And Vaylin’s, by extension. And that she didn’t know what the would-be assassins were capable of, and if they’d come after her and her crew.

“Look, lemme think this over,” she said, lifting her head.  “At least until I’m sober.”

Xeraye lifted one tattooed eyebrow, looking faintly amused.  “Until then,” she promised. “Be well, Delunarion.”

“It’s Del,” she mumbled, but Xeraye had already hung up.

She spent a few minutes staring blankly at the stars before she moved again, punching the code for a different holofrequency into her comm.  It took a few chimes, but to her relief, the face of her girlfriend appeared before her.

Tau Idair was dressed in Jedi robes instead of her usual striking armor, which meant that activity on Ord Mantell was low for once.  Unlike both Del and Xeraye, it was the middle of the day for her, and she seemed refreshed and alert.

Tau took one look at her and sighed.  “You’re drunk, so the job went well. But you also look like you’re about to cry, which means something else is wrong.  Did Commander Mynos call?”

Del blinked.  “How’d you know?”

“I hate to break it to you,” Tau said gently, “but these days you only get that look on your face after she calls.  I’m not jealous or anything - I know it’s more to do with the Alliance favors she asks you for than your... history.  So what weird and/or impossible task did she give you?”

“She wants me to chaperone the Terrible Two for...I dunno how long.”

Tau whistled.  “Wow. Yeah, that’s... pretty intense.  Master Sarabande mentioned that Arcann had been attacked, but she didn’t specify much more than that.  Not very talkative, that one. It’s kind of what I like about her, though.”

“I told Xeraye I’d think about it.”  Del sunk down into her chair. “And the more I think about it, the more crazy it sounds.  Why come to me with this? Why didn’t she just ask Hylo to hook her up with someone? I guess I’m more anonymous than Darth Occlus or whoever else Xeraye has spying for her, but seriously?  I’m not  _ that  _ low profile.”

Tau coughed.  “You, uh... you do realize that you have a bit of a reputation where your passengers are concerned, right?”

Del stared at her blankly.  

“I don’t think I’ve ever been on the  _ Seiryunn  _ when there wasn’t... say, a couple of kids on board that you’d helped out of a scrape.  Or that one time when you had a Nautolan woman that you’d rescued from a Hutt on Nar Shaddaa.  Hell, your whole crew is made up of people who you kinda pulled from nowhere and ended up sticking with you.  Then there’s those Twi’lek kids that you check in on every week - “

“Wha - but - I don’t run some kinda halfway house!” Del spluttered.  “The Nautolan woman was a decent cook! Made some good meals for everyone.”

“Uh-huh.”

“And - and those Twi’lek kids - they do me favors here and there, I’m just making sure that they stay outta trouble - “

Tau was smirking.  Del scowled. 

“Okay, so maybe I look after a lotta people,” she mumbled, crossing her arms and sticking out her lower lip.  “But they’re people who, y’know, needed something better. Just a little bit of guidance. Usually kids who turned to crime because they had no other choice.  This is - Arcann and Vaylin were ruling the galaxy at one point. They bombed five kriffing planets. This is totally different.”

Tau shrugged.  “You know who their dad was.”

Del jabbed a finger at her.  “Not an excuse, Tau.”

“I know that,” Tau said, raising both hands placatingly.  “But hey. If anyone can teach them a little humility? It’s you.  I’ve been working as a part of Master Sarabande’s task force, so I don’t really know if Arcann or Vaylin has changed since they joined the Alliance, but she’s worked with Arcann once before, and she didn’t seem to mind it.  I think you’ve got a chance to do some good here.”

“Is it worth my emotional health?” Del muttered.  

Tau rolled her eyes.  “Drama queen. Alright, here’s the plan.  After you grab them at Odessen - and I know you will, because you never intended on saying no to Commander Mynos in the first place - swing on over to Ord Mantell and pick me up.  I’ll be your backup on this.”

Del perked up.  “Yeah? You sure Daeshiel will be okay with it?”

“If I say it’s a personal favor for the Commander?  She’ll squint at me a little bit, but she’ll let me go.”

“I’d better not come out of my ship to say hi, then,” Del said.  “She knows we’re dating.”

“She also knows your ship,” Tau pointed out.  

“Ah, kriff it,” Del said.  “If Daeshiel Sarabande wants to take it up with someone, she can take it up with me.  Having you around for a little while is definitely worth the price of looking after two spoiled brats - “  She cut herself off, squinting at Tau. “Wait a sec, you’re not  _ bribing  _ me, are you?”

“Me?”  Tau blinked guilelessly.  “Never.”

“Yeah, sure.”  But Del grinned ruefully.  “Better not tell Xeraye that this is what got me to agree.  She’s gonna use you to bribe me every time she wants a favor, now.  Then you’ll never get any work done, and then where will the Alliance be?”

“Probably ground to dust under Zakuul’s heel,” Tau said, winking.  It was all Del could do not to give a dreamy sigh. “But you would’ve done it anyway, honey.  You can’t help yourself. I’m mostly just coming along so I can watch. You got any Dantooinian Corn Kernels on that ship?”

“We’ve got a stock for when Corso and Risha watch their holodramas,” Del said.  She blew a kiss at Tau. “See you in a few days?”

Tau pretended to catch it, holding it to her heart.  “See you then.”

Del press the button to end the holocall, perfectly aware of the big silly grin on her face, thank you very much.  Her spirits had been lifted enough that she didn’t even worry about the damn star chart anymore. Even the reminder that there was going to be hell to pay for her being shavitfaced wasn’t enough to dampen her spirits.    


* * *

 

“Rishaaaaaa.”

“Delunarion.”

“Aww, c’mon, it’s  _ Del _ .”

“If you’ve got enough energy to correct me, Captain, then you have enough energy to get up and at least brush your teeth.”

“Can’t you see I’m  _ suffering _ ?”

“You wouldn’t be if you drank my hangover cure.  Even Bowdaar had some, this time.”

“It’s poison, Risha.  Poison!”

“Rude.”

“Rishaaaaa.  Risha, remember when I was like... mean?  And scary and shavit?”

“...no?”

“Yeah I was.  I was... I was the meanest gangster around.  Pirates and criminals everywhere shook in their boots when they heard my name.  I struck fear into the hearts of every well-meaning citizen - “

“You once accidentally shot a fully-grown Nexu and cried about it for like... an hour.”

“When did I get  _ nice _ , Risha?”

“You sure you’re not still drunk?”

“Pr’yshurrrr, yeah.”

“Look, Tau’s coming along for this one, remember?  Your girlfriend? The one you wax poetic about to everyone who will listen?  And also everyone who  _ won’t  _ listen?”

“...oh yeah.”

“Yeah.  Look, go get some sleep.  I think you need it right now.”

* * *

 

Odessen was an ideal planet for settlement, really.  Rugged landscapes, sources of both food and water, reasonable temperatures as long as you stayed away from the poles.  Sure, Del sometimes got a creepy vibe from it, but apart from that she was surprised that no one had bothered to set up there before.  It’d make a good smuggling hideout. She supposed that a rebellion’s base was basically a smuggling hideout, just... a step above in terms of legitimacy.

Well, okay, no.  According to Zakuul (and, if she was being honest, the Empire and the Republic) the Alliance’s standing wasn’t any better than a smuggling ring.  And considering that they  _ ran  _ a smuggling ring...

“Hey, Rylie!” Hylo yelled across the hangar.  “Have fun with babysitting duty!”

“How’s Rennow?” Del yelled back.  Hylo flipped her off in answer.

Aside from Hylo and a group of Trandoshans (and Del wasn’t about to ask what  _ that  _ was about), the hangar was deserted.  Not really surprising, since Xeraye wanted to keep the Terrible Two’s departure on the down-low.  The  _ Seiryunn  _ filled the small space easily, blocking out most of the sunlight from outside and casting eerie shadows on the speeders that lined the walls.

“I am not sure about this,” Bowdaar growled from beside her.  They were standing a few feet away from the gangplank; Del had told Bowdaar to fold his arms so that he looked intimidating.  “Arcann did not care when his people began buying slaves. He and Vaylin both burned many planets.”

Del patted his arm.  “Trust me big guy, I know.  Don’t worry. Xeraye didn’t say we had treat them like they’re still royalty or anything.”

“I still do not like it.”

“Yeah,” Del sighed.  “Not sure if I do, either.”

The door clanged open, cutting off their conversation.  Xeraye strode into the room first, still wearing her plain black robes (and that would never not be weird to Del, even if she had seen Xeraye in a nightie), but also with both her lightsabers visibly on her belt.  Following behind her... Del blinked.

The two looked nothing like their holos.  Arcann had discarded the mask, baring his scars to the world and looking... happier?... for it.  There was also the fact that his eyes now matched his mother’s, rather than his father’s. Which was nice, she guessed.  Vaylin’s eyes still glowed yellow, but Del was so used to working with Sith that it didn’t bother her much. The more surprising part was that Vaylin no longer kept her hood up, and had pulled her hair into a haphazard ponytail.

Both wore what looked like Jedi robes.  Probably borrowed from the Force enclave, if Del had to guess.  

It was too much to hope that maybe, just maybe, the two siblings had taken on some of that Jedi humility in addition to their dress.  The moment they caught sight of her and Bowdaar standing by the gangplank, they raised their eyebrows. On the one hand, Arcann looked really uncomfortable, which she could work with.  On the other hand, Vaylin sneered.

“This is it?” she asked, her voice carrying through the hangar.  “I thought we were supposed to be traveling inconspicuously. This is about as unnoticeable as a Rancor in the Spire.”

Del tried not to be offended on behalf of her ship.

Arcann made a pained noise and elbowed his sister.  “Apologies for her behavior,” he said smoothly. “We are very grateful for you extending your hospitality, Captain...?”

“Rylie,” Del answered.  “Wow, you make it sound so formal.  Dunno if I like that. As for you - “ she jabbed a finger at Vaylin and gave her her best threatening grin.  “Don’t worry. Where we’re going, no one’s going to look twice at you.”

Vaylin scoffed, but her eyes were wary.

“Behave, please, Captain,” Xeraye said, the corner of her mouth lifting.  “I will contact you once we have rooted out those who wish Arcann and Vaylin dead.  Senya wished to accompany you, but I require her investigative skills here. I trust you won’t deliberately seek out trouble while they are in your care?”

Del blinked innocently.  “Trouble? Me? Well I never, Commander.”

“How reassuring,” Xeraye said dryly.  “May the Force serve you well, Captain.”

“Same to you, I guess.”  Force mumbo-jumbo always made Del uncomfortable.  Xeraye only nodded, pivoting and striding out of the halls.  Well, at least she hadn’t lost her stately way of walking. Still a bit pretentious if you asked Del.

She stepped aside, waving towards the gangplank with an elaborate bow.  “Your majesties.”

As Arcann and Vaylin boarded the ship, Bowdaar growl-roared.  “How can you bow to them?”

Del straightened, rolling her eyes.  “It’s a joke, Bowie,” she said. “I’m mocking them and they know it.”

“Well if we didn’t before, we definitely do  _ now _ ,” Vaylin called from the ship’s entrance.

Del sighed, glancing ruefully at Bowdaar.  “That one’s gonna be trouble.” She scoffed.   “Trouble! I don’t look for trouble. Trouble finds me.”

“Both of those things happen,” Bowdaar pointed out, preceding her up the gangplank.

“Wow, thanks for your support.  Never thought I’d see the day you and Xeraye gang up on me.  Risha’ll back me up on this. Risha always does.”

She sealed the airlock behind her, emerging into the hallway to see Arcann and Vaylin just standing there, both looking uncomfortable this time.  “Well don’t just stand there,” she said, shooing them towards the common room. “Go on, I’ve gotta start takeoff procedures.” Raising her voice, she added, “Akaavi, no battles for honor or whatever.”

Akaavi appeared at the other end of the common room, appraising Arcann and Vaylin with narrowed eyes.  “They are not worthy to accept the challenge, Captain. You have nothing to fear.”

Vaylin looked vaguely insulted, but said nothing.

“Well that’s good, I guess.  Can you go find Risha and Corso?  Tell them that they’re gonna have to give our guests some more suitable clothes.”

She left for the cockpit before any of them had the chance to protest.  Might’ve been a dumb thing to do, but she trusted Akaavi not to be fazed if Vaylin said something insulting.  

Del settled herself into the pilot’s chair, inputting the coordinates for Ord Mantell and programming a few false jumps in between, just in case she was spotted by Eternal Empire patrols.  She was pretty sure that she was still on Zakuul’s wanted list, and she didn’t fancy going to whatever prison they’d throw her in. Hopefully not Belsavis.

Once they’d made the jump to hyperspace, she emerged to find the common room deserted.  Del let out a relieved sigh before she could stop herself, then immediately felt bad for dumping her newest passengers on her crewmates... who she hadn’t exactly consulted before agreeing to take this job.  

With another, less-relieved sigh, she set out for the crew quarters.  The voices she could hear floating down the hall weren’t raised, which she took to be a good sign.

The scene she walked in on looked harmless enough, but the tension in the room was thick enough to cut with a vibroknife.  Corso was holding out a mish-mashed bundle of tunics, pants, and jackets with a scowl on his face, staring hard enough at the floor to burn holes through it.  Arcann reached out to take the bundle of clothes slowly, the discomfort Del had seen earlier increased tenfold. 

Risha, on the other hand, had a gleeful look on her face.  Vaylin looked about two seconds away from strangling her.

Del sorta wanted to disappear into the floor, but she had more spine than that.  Probably.

“You don’t gotta like it, Corso,” she said, opting for the easier situation to deal with first (guess she didn’t have  _ that  _ much spine).  “But at least try not to stare your way through the hull?”

Corso jumped, his glare vanishing as he saw her.  “Sorry Captain,” he said sheepishly.

Del waved him off, letting him know it was fine, and pretended not to notice as Arcann practically scampered out of the room.  Geez, the kid was jumpier than a Ginx on spice.

She turned her attention to Vaylin and Risha.  “Problem, ladies?”

“Hmm?” Risha said, blinking guilelessly.  “No, no problem. You wanted them to fit in, right?”

Del refrained from rolling her eyes when she saw that Risha had given Vaylin a mustard-yellow jumpsuit, one that she’d never seen Risha wear.  No wonder, either, considering how ugly it was. She’d forgotten how petty Risha liked to be. 

To her surprise, Vaylin thanked Risha through gritted teeth.

Risha blinked.  “You’re... welcome?”

Del pinched the bridge of her nose.  She had a feeling she was gonna be doing that a lot in the near future.  “Look,” she said, “you can keep wearing your robes while you’re on the ship, if you want.  But you can’t wear them if you leave the ship. You guys have to blend in, and Jedi robes aren’t exactly gonna cut it.  Even if they are boring to look at.”

Vaylin wrinkled her nose.  “And this ugly thing will, I suppose?”

Del couldn’t stop herself from grinning.  “You’d be surprised. Pretty sure you’d be more anonymous going naked than you would be wearing Jedi robes.”

Vaylin raised an eyebrow, but followed her brother out of the room without protesting further.

Del followed after a moment, shooting an apologetic look at Risha and Corso.

She’d set up pallets next to the bar before their arrival on Odessen.  Del was counting on the siblings being uninterested in the booze that was stocked there.  Bowdaar wasn’t exactly happy about his space being inhabited, but when Del pointed out that the alternative was putting the pallets in the crew quarters, he relented.

“Bad enough to have them on the same ship,” he’d growled, “much less the same room as the rest of us.”

Del wasn’t sure how the siblings had found their designated sleeping area without her, but when she checked it there they were.  Arcann was already sleeping - taking a nap, maybe, since it was still the middle of the day on Odessen. Vaylin, however, was sitting up on her pallet with her knees drawn to her chest, and she shot a scowl at Del when she saw her hovering in the doorway.

Del raised both hands and left.

She’d had every intention of passing out in her bed for a few hours, but the sound of the ship’s comm chiming had her heading for the holoterminal instead.  Easier to take the call there than in the cockpit.

It was Senya.

With another sigh, Del answered.  “Before you ask, no, we didn’t dump them out the airlock.”

Senya, looking the same as ever (did she ever not wear her armor?) raised both eyebrows.  “Should I be worried about that?”

“Probably not?”

Senya shook her head.  “Pretend I didn’t ask.”  She smiled at Del’s sloppy mock-salute.  “I just wanted to check in, make sure they were settled in alright.”

Del frowned as a thought occurred to her.  “This is an encrypted line, right?”

“It’s not connected to the Alliance’s main network, if that’s what you’re worried about.”  Senya tilted her head to the side, then added, “Theron says that it has four different layers of encryption, and he changes them every week.”

Del smirked.  “Only every week?  He’s getting slow.”

This time, she heard a very faint ‘Hey!’ in the background, followed by a few choice Huttese insults.

“Anyway,” Senya said, shooting a look over her shoulder, “I also wanted to thank you for agreeing to this.  Xeraye says you’ve been busy, and I know that harboring my children will likely be... difficult.”

Del coughed.  “Yeah. Busy.”  She tried not to think about the star chart that made her want to throw her brain out of the airlock.  “Uh, how’re you? How’s things with the Alliance? Wait, don’t answer that. The less I know, the better.”

Senya smiled.  “I’ll not say anything, then.  Unless you’re interested in hearing about Challaa’s bachelorette party.”

“Oooooh.”  Del rubbed her hands together.  “I was gonna go take a nap, but this is worth staying awake for.”

* * *

 

Ord Mantell was one of the only planets to maintain its independence in the wake of Zakuul’s invasion, and it had largely been thanks to Jedi Master Daeshiel Sarabande’s task force.  They managed to unite the factions of Ord Mantell’s civil war, cripple the attacking Skytroopers by taking out the Knights of Zakuul who commanded them, and somehow activated a planetary defense net that destroyed all ships that entered orbit.

The secret to the planetary defense net wasn’t yet known, not even by the Alliance.  Even though Master Sarabande and her task force had agreed to join the Alliance, Ord Mantell had not, though they continued to allow Daeshiel and her Jedi to use the planet as their base of operations.

Since Zakuul had been uninterested in continuing to lose ships to Ord Mantell, they’d discontinued their attacks, and the net was currently deactivated.  Del was thankful for that much, as she swerved past the inert Net probes to enter Ord Mantell’s perpetually gray atmosphere. 

Shuffling footsteps told her that someone had entered the cockpit.  “We’re about 15 minutes away from landing,” she said, without turning around.  “The cloud cover’s pretty thick, so it’ll be a little while before we can see anything.”

To her surprise, it was Arcann who spoke.  “Where are we?”

“Ord Mantell.”  Del transferred more power to the shields; the atmospheric entry was going to suck for the hull if she wasn’t careful.  “We’re picking someone else up before we start keeping our ‘low profile’.”

“May I ask who?”

“You may.”  Del didn’t continue, grinning a bit when she risked a glance back to see Arcann glowering at her.  “Alright, I’m just joshing ya, kid. Her name’s Tau Idair. She works as a part of Master Sarabande’s task force.  Tau said you know Daeshiel, right?”

Del was distracted by having to avoid a supercell, so she didn’t realize, at first, that Arcann had fallen silent at her words.  They broke through the clouds, revealing the dark brown landscape, interspersed with green. She chanced another glance behind her; was Arcann  _ blushing _ ?

There wasn’t a whole lot of time for her to wonder.  She had to start the landing cycle, and it was only another few minutes before she was touching down expertly in the spaceport.

Arcann followed her to the airlock, which was another surprise.  “It’ll only be a couple minutes,” Del told him. “You don’t have to come if you don’t want to.”

The journey to Ord Mantell had been quiet.  Both Tirall siblings kept to themselves, staying out of the crew’s way and avoiding contact when they could.  Arcann was awkward but polite whenever Del ran into him, but Vaylin was sullen and snappish. Still, they’d been well-behaved, and Arcann had taken to asking if he could help out around the ship, as though determined to repay Del.

She’d given him a few odd jobs around the ship, like taking inventory and tuning up the internal comm systems.  She wondered if him deciding to follow her now was a part of his desire to make nice with her and the crew.

Arcann shrugged.  “I’d like to,” was all he said.

“Suit yourself.  Make sure you keep your hood up, though.  This is supposed to be a private hangar, but you never know.”

Arcann nodded, doing as she said while she opened the airlock door.

The spaceport was newly-constructed, so she was docked in an open-air hangar.  It was because of that that she had a clear view of the two people approaching the bottom of the gangplank.  

Del knew that she had a big, sappy smile on her face as she saw Tau.  Her girlfriend had traded her usual armor for more casual wear - a gray jacket and trousers, something more befitting a smuggler like Del than a Jedi.  She carried a pack over her shoulder, and it only took her two long strides to reach Del and pull her in for a kiss.

Del made a muffled noise in surprise before she relaxed, enthusiastically returning the kiss.  A polite cough broke them apart, but Del refused to blush as she turned and saw who had accompanied Tau.

Daeshiel Sarabande had always put her a little on-edge.  Dressed in full armor and armed with a double-bladed lightsaber, she cut an intimidating figure - moreso than Xeraye, in some ways.  She was younger than Del by at least ten years, but she’d achieved the rank of Jedi Master after the Revan debacle - and despite Satele Shan denouncing her a few years previously.  As far as Del knew, the only person who had achieved the rank of master more quickly had been Challaa Kitrann, but Challaa was actually... well, Jedi-like. Somewhat.

Daeshiel, on the other hand, had glowing yellow eyes like a Sith’s, and had her brown hair cut in a perfectly symmetrical bob.  Her makeup was heavier, and made Del think of the war paint that she herself used to wear more than anything else. She held herself with an air of haughtiness that belied how soft-spoken she was.

“Greetings, Captain Rylie,” Daeshiel said, bowing her head.  “I see you intend to steal away one of my best.”

Tau rolled her eyes.  “Don’t worry about it,” she said to Del.  “I’ve gotten her blessing. Besides, you don’t need me right now, Master Sarabande.  And I’ve been pushing for you to let me go to Odessen for months now.”

“Yes, I’m aware,” Daeshiel replied, a touch of humor in her voice.  “Just as you are aware that you have my permission to report to Commander Mynos on Odessen once your ‘vacation’ is over.  You will, of course, be missed.”

“Thanks,” Tau said.

Daeshiel bowed her head again, this time to Tau, before she turned her attention to the fourth person present.  “Hello again, Arcann.”

Del raised both her eyebrows.  Was it her imagination, or was there actually  _ warmth  _ in Daeshiel’s voice?

Arcann, who had been hanging back on the gangplank, moved more fully into view.  He was blushing again. Tau coughed, and Del blinked at her when she realized that she was trying (and failing) to hide a laugh.  

“Master Sarabande,” Arcann said.  “I trust you are well.”

“I am.  And you?”

“Well as can be expected, for having survived an assassination attempt.  Fortunately, Captain Rylie has been kind enough to give my sister and I refuge.”

“I’ve been made aware,” Daeshiel said.  She sounded amused again. “I suppose you had better be leaving, then.”  Her eyes flickered over to Del, glittering. “I’m sure Captain Rylie will do her part.  Good day.”

Daeshiel turned and swept out of the hangar before anyone could say anything else.  Del gaped after her. 

“Did she just threaten me?” she asked.  “That sounded like a threat. That upstart little Jedi thinks that just because she’s a Master she can - “

“Don’t worry about it,” Tau said, patting her on the arm.  “It means she likes you.”

“Kriff that,” muttered Del, glaring after Daeshiel, even as Tau steered her back up the gangplank.  “With friends like her, who needs enemies?”

* * *

 

Del’s house on Rishi (or her lair, as she referred to it, no matter how many times her crewmates rolled their eyes when she did) was spacious enough to house at least 10 people, maybe more.  Sure, she lacked the actual furniture needed for hosting that many, but the point was that everyone would have space if they needed it.

The problem was getting there.

As Tau had rightly pointed out, Del often found herself with an extra passenger.  Sometimes two. Three, though? Almost never. 

It helped that she and Tau were sharing their bed, so there weren’t any problems with finding somewhere for people to sleep, but the agitation on the  _ Seiryunn  _ was palpable.  Risha had made it known that she didn’t like Arcann poking his nose around the ship, even if it was for tasks that Del had sent him on.  Vaylin had taken to sulking in the cargo hold, displacing Guss, who took to sulking in the cockpit. That wouldn’t normally have been a bad thing, but he and Corso had wound up snapping at each other more than once.

By the end of week one, Del was ready to cut off her own lekku.

“Maybe I’ll send a message to Bazh,” she muttered to herself, watching while Vaylin paced another lap around her ship.  “See if she can send me any of those painkillers she uses.”

Behind her, Tau sighed.  “It’s only another week to Rishi,” she said.  “Then everyone’ll liven up a bit.”

They would’ve been at Rishi already, except Lana had called, insisting on sending Del a hyperspace route that would be certain to shake off any tails they might have.  Del swore that they had gone all over the galaxy already, but then Lana was always thorough. 

“I just hope we don’t all kill each other before we get there,” she said.  She tried not to think about how either Arcann or Vaylin alone could easily tear the ship apart.

“They just need something to keep them busy,” Tau said.  “Idle hands, you know?”

“Maybe.  Easier said than done, considering that I'm pretty sure the only thing they're actually good at is stabbing things.”

“Don't forget shooting lightning at things,” Vaylin said as she passed again.

Del would forever deny that she jumped when Vaylin spoke.  She waited until the sound of her footsteps faded again before speaking.

“They haven't said anything about having any hobbies,” she hissed.

“Have you asked them?”

“Well, no.”  She didn't particularly want to, either.  She racked her brains for something for the Terrible Two to do - something that wouldn't make Arcann and Vaylin (mostly Vaylin) stare at her as though she'd turned into a lylek.  

Footsteps signified that Vaylin was about to pass the open door to her room again, and it was in that moment that inspiration struck.

“Hey Vaylin!” she called.  Vaylin paused in the doorway, raising one eyebrow.  “Wanna learn how to make explosives?”

Tau rolled her eyes.  Vaylin’s other eyebrow joined the first, and she turned more fully toward Del.  

“I’m listening.”

* * *

 

When his sister did not immediately return to their so-called ‘quarters’ that evening, Arcann thought that he finally had a chance at a full night’s sleep.  

Not that he begrudged her.  Her nightmares were numerous and vicious, and they both knew there was no easy fix for such a thing.  Still, there was no denying the relief he felt at the prospect of a night without her thrashing and whimpering next to him.  Thus had he lain down on his pallet and tried to relax, taking advantage of the relative peace.

To his immense frustration, however, sleep proved elusive.  An hour passed, during which he tossed and turned, before he finally gave up and opted for meditation instead.  Meditation was nearly as impossible as sleeping, however, and it was difficult enough on a good day. It was while he was pacing that he finally decided that the absence of Vaylin was bothering him more than he’d thought it would.

Though he did not believe that Vaylin’s surly attitude would improve their standing with Captain Rylie’s crew, a selfish part of him preferred that she stay where he could keep an eye on her.  Worry churned in his gut whenever she had one of her nightmares, and he couldn’t stop himself from worrying when he didn’t know where she was or what she was doing, either.

Finally the door to the rec room opened, and Vaylin entered, humming and tossing something up and down in her hand.  Her eyes met his, and a smirk appeared on her face.

“Aww,” she said.  “Did you wait up for me?”

She stopped next to the bar, leaning her hip against, still tossing the object up and down.  Despite her Jedi robes, the pose made her look more like one of Rylie’s crew. 

“What is that?” Arcann asked, nodding at the object Vaylin tossed.  

Vaylin didn’t even look at it.  “A grenade.”

Arcann let out a noise somewhere between a squawk and a shout.  He reacted, reaching out with the Force to pull it into his grasp.  Vaylin didn’t even have to move, but the grenade refused to obey him, quivering in midair for a moment before dropping back into her palm.

“What’s wrong, big brother?” she asked, pouting.  “Not happy being within five feet of an explosive?”

Arcann took a deep breath to keep himself from yelling at her.  He didn’t want to have the entire ship’s crew come running; he knew they would be wondering if either he or Vaylin had finally snapped and decided to kill each other (or them).  Thanks to his exhaustion, it proved to be a more difficult task than it normally would.

“Should I be?” he asked, somehow keeping his wit intact.

Vaylin snorted.  “No.” She tossed it into the air one more time before waving her hand, sending it over to her pack.  Arcann kept himself from flinching, but his sister’s eyeroll told him that she’d noticed.

“Relax,” she said, plopping herself down on her pallet.  “I removed the incendiary component. It’s harmless.”

Arcann let out a breath, then shot Vaylin a venomous glare.

“It’s cute when you do that.”

“Must you be so - “  He cut himself off. He would never admit that he didn’t know how to handle Vaylin’s behavior nowadays.  Ever since they joined the Alliance, she seemed to put an extra amount of effort in driving him mad. Her mischief was harmless, and the Commander seemed to find it  _ endearing _ , of all things, but Arcann - who was well aware of the kind of things Vaylin was capable of - was still waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Vaylin’s smirk transformed into a frown.  “Must I be so... what?”

Arcann didn’t answer.  He lay back down on his pallet, rolling onto his side so that he was facing away from Vaylin.  “Go to sleep,” he grumbled. 

“Fine,” she bit out.  The playful note had left her voice.

Arcann reached out with the Force to dim the lights, darkening the room so that they’d be able to sleep in relative peace.  Despite her penchant for discomfiting him, he felt warmed by her presence at his side, and his eyelids began to grow heavy - something that they had refused to do while she was absent.

Before he drifted off, he reached out to her in the Force, and the last thing he felt was relief when she reached back.

* * *

 

Dejarik had never been one of Del’s strengths.  She preferred sabacc, whenever she had the chance to play it.  Turned out that continually thrashing one’s crewmates at one game meant that they usually wanted to play another, though, so there she was.  Playing dejarik. Against Tau. 

And  _ losing _ .

She gaped as Tau’s k’lor’slug took down her savrip.  That made it her third loss in a row, and she grudgingly tossed a few credit chips at Tau.  Next to her, Corso hooted, slapping his knee and high-fiving Risha. 

“What the hell’s Daeshiel been teaching you?” she asked.  “I thought she was more of a... magic Jedi weirdo.”

Tau raised her eyebrows at Del’s phrasing, but didn’t comment on it.  “Master Sarabande is an accomplished military strategist,” she said. “She wanted to make sure that the rest of us learn a thing or two from her.  That included handing my ass to me at this game, so I’m passing the favor on to you.”

“She’s definitely intimidating,” Guss said.  He was sitting next to Tau, and had pretended like he wasn’t interested in the nuances of dejarik.  

“I wouldn’t say that,” Tau countered.  

“Are you kidding?”  Guss looked incredulous.  “I’m not that strong in the Force, and even I can sense that something’s weird in the Force around her.  Gives me the creeps.”

Tau frowned, opening her mouth to argue further, but was beaten to the punch.

“Master Sarabande has a complicated relationship to the Force,” Arcann said.  He was standing in the doorframe, looking like he’d been there the entire time.  Vaylin was nowhere to be seen; if Del had to guess, she’d say that she was still sleeping.  “Or at least, that’s how she’s explained it to me. Underestimating her is a mistake.”

Tau leaned back in her chair, folding her arms.  “Yeah. You learned that the hard way, didn’t you.”

Del expected Arcann to bristle at the comment, but instead he just said, “Yes.  As you well know.”

He moved further into the room, gesturing to the dejarik table.  “May I?”

Del stood up (and if anyone accused her of standing too quickly, she’d deny it to the end of her days) and waved at him to take her seat.  “Be my guest.”

She debated heading to the bar to get herself a drink, but remembered that Vaylin was likely still sleeping in there.  Instead, she slid into the booth next to Tau, leaning into her side while she watched the game in silence. 

Neither Tau nor Arcann were talkative players.  In other words, neither of them had Del’s gift for trash talk.  She wasn’t sure what either of them were trying to dor; she’d never bothered to learn the specific strategies that were used in dejarik.  It was obviously something that they understood, though; Tau was biting her lip, looking frustrated, and Arcann never took his eyes off the board.

When the match ended in Arcann’s victory, Tau groaned, leaning back in her seat.  “Seriously?” she mumbled.

Arcann shifted, looking awkward.  “If it makes you feel any better,” he offered hesitantly, “Master Sarabande has beaten me at this game too.  Many times.”

Tau laughed.  “Yeah, she’s an asshole about it.  Gotta love her, though.”

Del’s lekku twitched when she noticed Arcann’s blush and his mumbled agreement.  It was only remembering that she was dealing with the guy who had ordered the bombardment of five planets that kept her from teasing him.  It was harder than she’d thought, reconciling him and his sister with the people who had caused so much suffering throughout the galaxy. 

She was grateful when the ship’s console started chirping, causing her to jump up from her seat.

“Looks like we’re finally coming out of hyperspace,” she announced, beelining for the cockpit.  The shuffling noises behind her meant that her crew was following, and she threw herself into the pilot’s chair while Corso settled in to copilot.  “Yup, we’re coming up on Rishi. Going to the sublight engines in three... two...”

After two  _ long _ , long weeks, the blue glow of hyperspace was finally replaced by normal space.  Del let out a breath of relief at the sight that greeted her: a planet of greens and blues, with several tropical storms covering its surface.  Thankfully, none of those storms were hovering over the Raider’s Cove area.

She turned on the shipwide comm.  “Alright boys and girls, buckle in - we’ll be landing in a few minutes.  We’ll all get to stretch our legs soon.”

The descent through the atmosphere was easier than the descent on Ord Mantell.  Del landed with barely a jolt on her villa’s landing pad, happy to see the place was deserted apart from the droid staff - last time she’d come back, a bunch of weequay had taken up residence.  Kicking them out hadn’t been her definition of fun.

Vaylin and Bowdaar were waiting for the rest of them at the airlock, the two of them giving each other as wide of a berth as they could.  

Del patted Bowdaar’s arm as she passed, heading for the ramp controls.  She lowered the ramp, enjoying the first blast of warm air she got. After the cold, dry air of her ship, the humidity of Rishi was welcome, reminding her of Ryloth.  She ignored the pang that that thought gave her, striding down the ramp and heading for the doors of her lair. 

“This is yours?” Vaylin asked, sounding dumbstruck.

Del keyed in the door code, turning to grin at Vaylin.  “Yup.”

“But it’s... nice?”

“Yeah, I mean...”  Del scratched at her lekku as the door whooshed open.  “Most of it doesn’t have climate control - I may or may not love Rishi’s climate a bit too much - but it’s got everything else.  Nice furniture. Lots of space. The works. I  _ did  _ make a lot of money back in my prime smuggling days, y’know, and it’s not like Zakuul ever paid much attention to Rishi, anyway.”

“That much is true,” Arcann said.  “We had little interest in a pirate haven.  Though I will admit that we sent a few spies here, to search for fugitives.”

“Uh... are they still here?” Corso asked.

“They were recalled to search for intelligence on Commander Mynos,” Arcann answered.  “If Natrilla sent more to Rishi, then I do not know about it.”

“Enough depressing stuff.”  Del waved everyone inside. “C’mon, I’ll give you the tour.”

Her house was a mixture of wood and durasteel.  On the outside it looked ugly, but on the inside it had an open air layout, with as many of the rooms exposed to the outdoors as possible.  The central building, a large square structure of only one floor, contained all the main facilities - the kitchen, the rec room, and a couple of rooms that did have climate control for visitors whose biology wasn’t suited for Rishi’s weather.  There was also a shooting range and a sparring ring.

Two other buildings branched off from the main complex: one for guest habitation (where her crew usually slept when they were here) and one for Del’s quarters.  She didn’t need much, so that wing was much smaller than guest habitation.

Her quarters had a deck, though.  Del’s favorite thing to do was lounge on that deck.

The tour ended up being just for Arcann and Vaylin; everyone else dispersed, heading for their rooms.  Both siblings were quiet while Del pointed out where guest habitation was, and didn’t protest when she warned against swimming in the ocean unless they wanted to get eaten.

“And... yeah,” she finished lamely, once she’d brought them to the rec room.  “Feel free to go get settled. Roam the property. I dunno. I wouldn’t recommend going into Raider’s Cove without me, though.  Even Zakuul’s Old World is fancy compared to it.”

There was, after all, a big difference between a bunch of rich brats sneaking out to live on the edge, and actual pirates who would kill, maim, or decide to sell them into slavery if they so much as sneezed on them.  Del would know. She’d had her share of firefights with them - and that was just when she went into the market to buy food.

“Oh,” she said, snapping her fingers.  “And don’t eat the fish. Seriously. They’re not meant for human digestive systems.”

Leaving them with that ominous statement, Del left the entertainment lounge in search of Tau.  She knew that Tau would likely be in their shared room, or maybe using the fresher in the ensuite bathroom.  Taking a real shower after days of sonic ones was a priority for everyone, at this point.

Huh.  Del had forgotten to tell the Terrible Two that the showers used real water.  She brushed the thought aside; they would figure it out. 

Her second guess turned out to be correct.  She could hear the telltale sound of running water when she entered their room.  Del briefly debated joining her, but ended up moving towards the open window instead, basking in the coastal air.  She wound up stripping off her shirt, leaving only her bra on and lounging on the bed.

Eventually, the noise from the shower stopped.  Del rolled over onto her stomach so that she was facing the fresher door, and hummed appreciatively when Tau stepped out wrapped in a towel.  

Tau laughed.  “Enjoying yourself?” she teased.  

“You bet,” Del answered, drinking in the sight.  “Everyone - including the Terrible Two - finally has some space.  We’re on Rishi, which has the best weather outside of Ryloth. And I know with 100 percent certainty that my girlfriend isn’t wearing anything under that towel.”

“Oh, you know that?” Tau said, raising an eyebrow.  She sashayed over. “I could make it so that I’m not wearing the towel, either.”

There was sweat beading on Del’s upper lip.  She licked it away, then pushed herself up so that she was sitting on her knees and gently pulled Tau to her.  Tau let herself be pulled, smiling into their kiss. Del let her hands fall onto Tau’s shoulders, tightening her grip when Tau deepened the kiss, the heat of her mouth going straight to Del’s groin.  

Del groaned, tugging at the towel, but Tau grabbed her hand, stilling it.  She pulled back from the kiss, giving Del the view of her swollen lips, before she leaned forward and whispered, “I’ll take it off.   _ If  _ you shower first.”

Del ran for the fresher like her ass was on fire.

* * *

 

It was a nice enough place.  Really, it was.

The humidity, however, made Vaylin want to pull off her own skin.  It was cloying and uncomfortable, and there was no relief from it except for the two rooms that had climate control.  The problem was that there wasn’t anything to  _ do  _ in those rooms, and half the time when she went in there it was to find one of Rylie’s other crew members already there.  

Humidity or no, Vaylin always pivoted and left when she spotted one of them.

None of them liked her.  Granted, none of them liked Arcann either, but for reasons Vaylin couldn’t fathom, he kept trying to be friendly with them anyway.  She didn’t see any point in interacting with people who could barely stand the sight of her. It was a wasted effort. Arcann was wasting his efforts on all of them.

Del was alright.  She and Knight Idair were the only two people that Vaylin was somewhat comfortable around.  Knight Idair didn’t seem to have an opinion about her either way, and Del seemed to almost...  _ like  _ her?  

It was confusing, to say the least.  It also meant that Vaylin was reluctant to interact with... well, anyone.

Hence her current walk along the beach.  Del hadn’t said much about it, except to not go swimming and to watch out for pirates.  The pirates part had only made Vaylin laugh, but she eyed the waterline warily. Stories about the monsters that were rumored to dwell in Zakuul’s swamps came to mind.  Stories that her mother used to tell her.

Vaylin almost physically cringed away from that topic.

It was midday, so the sun was beating down directly on her head.  She kept her hood up to protect her skin. On one side, the water lapped at the shore lazily.  On the other, the beach quickly turned into a thick jungle. She didn’t even want to think about all the insects that probably lived there; they were bad enough out here.

The walk was uneventful.  It was also over far too quickly for Vaylin’s liking, so when she arrived back at the estate (she refused to call it Del’s lair, no matter how much Del pestered her) she used the Force to boost herself up onto the roof.  She landed lightly, making the same amount of noise as a nexu. The sun came down on her harder up there, but the air was also just a tad bit fresher.

The insects were another matter.  Vaylin lay down with her hood up, careful not to let the baking roof plating sear her skin.  The choo-flies tended to bother her less if she was lower to the ground. 

The heat wasn’t so unbearable up here, even with the heat of the roof seeping through her robes.  Vaylin closed her eyes, letting herself sink down into a stupor, and opened herself up to the Force for the first time in what felt like weeks.

Dispensing herself of her shields was always difficult, and today was no different.  She wrestled them down until they were lowered enough to allow the Force in.

It rushed in as it always had - burning, insistent.  She gritted her teeth and didn’t fight it; it would only become more overwhelming if she tried.  The waves of it calmed as she relented, forcing her ever-present rage to quiet for once. Touching the Force was always difficult.  Had always been difficult for her, since Nathema. Certainly, once she  _ did  _ touch it, she became like fire itself, but until then...

Tentatively, she reached out with her awareness, prodding at the weaker signatures below her.  Most of them were weak. One flickered a little more brightly than the rest (probably Guss; she didn’t get what the deal was with him, but he carried a lightsaber, disinclined though he was to use it).  One shone much more strongly. Knight Idair.

The last one...

Vaylin’s eyes snapped open.

Arcann lay on the roof too, a few feet away from her.  The sun was starting to sink towards the horizon, so she’d been here longer than she’d thought.  Sensing her gaze, Arcann turned to look at her. He didn’t seem the least bit regretful that he’d intruded on her solitude.

“You haven’t let yourself connect to the Force like this in a while,” he commented, after a moment.

“I reached out to you,” she pointed out.

“That’s different, and you know it.”

That was true, though Vaylin had no intention of admitting that.  Their bond was still shielded from the Force at large.

“What of it,” she asked.

Arcann studied her.  Abruptly, Vaylin found herself wishing his eyes were still yellow.  They hadn’t felt so piercing back then.

“Why now?” he asked.

Vaylin took a brief moment to observe him back - not his body, but in the Force.  He didn’t shine like Knight Idair. He also didn’t have the stuttering darkness that he’d had when he still sat on the throne.  His presence was sharp, and purposeful. It was closer to the intense focus that she usually felt from the Knights of Zakuul. 

He felt like their mother.

She reeled herself back in, and the presences she’d sensed before abruptly vanished.  The Force went reluctantly, as it always did, but only moments later it was as though it had never been there.

“What does it matter?” she snapped, making him wince.  “It’s still  _ hard _ , as you well know.  It’ll always be hard.  Whatever Father did to me - “

She snapped her mouth shut, rolling onto her side so that she was facing away from Arcann.  Valkorion lived on in Commander Mynos’ head, but Vaylin was no closer to having any answers than she’d ever been.  The roof stung her cheek, and she winced at the pain, but grabbed onto it like a lifeline. She channeled it into a shove that rolled Arcann away from her.

_ Using  _ the Force had never been a problem.

Feeling it?  That was what she struggled with.

Behind her, she heard Arcann groan.  He’d probably burned himself on the roof tiles as well.  

“You need to stop using pain as your access point,” he said.

Vaylin felt a shriek of laughter building in her throat.  “You say that like it’s an easy thing.”

A pause.  “That’s fair,” he admitted softly.  “It’s not. I got lucky. I had someone to help me through it.”

Vaylin snorted.  Apparently the weird Force bond he had with Master Sarabande was good for something after all.  Vaylin, however, knew that Master Sarabande wouldn’t be able to do the same for her. Every time she was around her, the hairs on the back of her neck stood up.

“Yes, well,” she sneered, rolling back to face him.  “Not all of us ended up Force-bonded to a Jedi after we were captured by the Alliance.”

He didn’t rise to the bait, and she couldn’t tell if his flush was because of the heat or because she’d managed to embarrass him.  This time she deliberately placed both her hands on the roof, breathing through the pain, before letting out a yell and shooting lightning into the sky.  It dissipated harmlessly, but the misery that Vaylin felt remained.

“ _ What the kark _ ?!”

Vaylin winced as the shriek met her ears, and she turned to see Del standing on the sand below her, hands planted on her hips.

“No!” she yelled.  “No, nuh-uh, nope! No shooting Force lightning on my property!  No way, no how! Find some other way to relieve stress. Now get your asses down here, we’re eating dinner.”

Vaylin scowled down at her, but leapt down with ease.  Arcann followed soon after.

Del glared right back at her until she sighed, her expression softening.  “Look, I’m not expecting an apology,” she said. “You were at least nice enough not to let loose on my house or something.  Just... find something else to do, next time? Please?”

“Fine,” Vaylin muttered.  “Sorry.”

Del shrugged.  “‘S okay. Anyway, Corso’s cooking - don’t make a face, he’s surprisingly good at it.  Something about being a farm boy and learning from his momma - there’s the face again. Look, I don’t get it either, but try to be nice, okay?”

And the food was good.  Some kind of stew, rich in flavor.  The meal was only made annoying by Corso waxing poetic over the recipe, but the rest of Del’s crew seemed more amused than irritated.  Arcann complimented Corso on the dish, and Corso - to Vaylin’s immense surprise - smiled and accepted the compliment. 

Huh.  Maybe Arcann’s efforts were... actually working.

That gave her something to think about.

* * *

 

Even in the much-less-confining halls of Del’s lair (kriff anyone who called it something else), people would get stir-crazy eventually.  The episode with Vaylin and Arcann on the roof the previous day had proven that much. Bringing the two into town with her was a risk, but then going into Raider’s Cove was  _ always  _ a risk.

Hence her forcing them both to wear their disguises.  

“We should get you a wig,” Del said to Arcann, after stepping back to examine him.  

Arcann winced, while Vaylin cackled behind him.  “Please don’t.”

Del shrugged.  “I’m just saying.  If whoever’s after you knows about your old eye color and your scars, then the baldness is only gonna confirm it.  Yeah, we’re getting you a wig. Don’t worry, I’ll let you pick it out.”

Arcann looked like a man resigned to a firing squad.  Vaylin looked like Life Day had come early. 

Everyone else was making sure their supplies and credit chips were secure, as well as pretending like they weren’t listening in on the conversation.  Risha was clearly trying not to smile. Akaavi was stone-faced, but her mouth twitched once or twice. Corso looked like it was taking everything he had not to bust out laughing like Vaylin had.  

“Are we taking the speeder?” Bowdaar inquired.

“I mean, we could,” Del replied dubiously.  “If you want to get bugs in your mouth.”

“That doesn’t sound so bad,” Guss muttered.  

Del, well aware of Guss’ dietary needs, shrugged.  “By all means, then. I’m walking though.”

Akaavi, Risha, Arcann, Tau, and Vaylin joined her.  Bowdaar and Corso opted to go with Guss in the speeder.  Bowdaar didn’t have the same taste for bugs, but he liked getting the rare chance to feel something like wind on his face on this planet.  Corso, on the other hand,  _ did  _ like eating bugs.  

Honestly, they were lucky the flies on Rishi weren’t poisonous.  Not like some of the ones on Ryloth.

The walk was uneventful, apart from a ripple in the water that made Vaylin edge away from the waterline.  Raider’s Cove was crowded and smelly - so no different from the last time Del had visited. Stalls lined the wooden walkways, selling questionable merchandise.  Half of them tended to sell spice under the table, too, though Del wrinkled her nose at the practice.

A couple of kids ran by their group, and Del glanced at Arcann’s belt, noting that it was now empty.  With a sigh, she jogged after the kids, catching the arm of one.

“Tell your friend to fork it over,” she instructed.  

The kid, a Rodian, blinked up at her.  His friend, however, groaned and tossed her the credit chips he’d nicked.

“Many thanks,” Del said, grinning, and tossed one of her own credit chips back at him.  Both kids’ eyes widened, and they shot her matching smiles before scurrying away. Del headed back to the group, who didn’t even seem to notice what had transpired, and tapped Arcann on the shoulder.

“Gotta keep better track of your valuables, buddy,” she said.  Arcann blinked, then glanced down at his belt and cursed.

“Thank you,” he said, taking the credit chips.  “I hadn’t even noticed they were gone. I’d wondered why you stopped those boys.”

Del shrugged.  “Being born here is rotten luck, but between horny pirates and the brothels -  it happens. Kids do what they gotta do. Might offer them a ride offworld if I see them again.  Should’ve done that to begin with, kark it.”

The group split up after that.  Akaavi and Tau went to speak to a merchant that was selling various fruits.  Risha and Vaylin had disappeared, which Del told herself not to worry about (she failed miserably).  Corso was arguing with someone - probably one of the spice dealers. Bowdaar and Guss were heading towards the cantina to get drinks and commiserate.  

“Do you often pick up strays?” Arcann asked, his voice tinged with amusement.

Del rolled her eyes.  “Not this again,” she muttered.  “I  _ don’t _ .”

She had a couple of contacts to check in with on the far side of the Cove, so she started heading in that direction.  Arcann fell into step next to her, rather than staying with anyone else, which was fine. It was nice to have someone at her back who could use a lightsaber, especially in Raider’s Cove.

“You don’t pick up strays,” Arcann said.  “And yet you seem to know every disenfranchised child or adolescent in the galaxy.  May I ask where we’re going right now?”

“Huh?”  Del was thrown by the sudden topic change.  “Oh. We’re going to - do you know Bazh?”

Arcann frowned.  “I’ve only heard her name peripherally - isn’t she SIS?”

“Kinda,” Del answered.  “Look, technically I’m not supposed to tell you this, but she works for both the SIS and the Alliance.  It’s a mutual partnership. Her and Theron worked it out with their superiors. Anyway, she once asked me to help out an old friend of hers on Rishi, so I found her a place to stay and I just make sure that she’s doing alright every once in a while - “

She cut herself off when she realized Arcann was smirking at her.  “What?” she asked.

“Nothing.”

Del kept pestering him, but he wouldn’t tell her.  She gave up when they were still two blocks away from the little residence that Del had gotten for Bazh’s friend.  She’d offered to let Shara stay in her lair, but Shara wouldn’t have it, insisting that she support herself. 

It was a modest place.  One habitation pod, containing one bedroom, one fresher, and a nice kitchen.  Del pressed the button to ring the door chime, paused, then gave the knock code.  Shara opened the door, her eyes brightening when she took them in.

“Del!” she exclaimed, smiling.  Her smile always looked strained to Del, but that was something that she just couldn’t fix.  “Come in. Your friend can come in as well.”

The rooms were darkened, the curtains pulled over the windows, but at least the faint smell of alcohol that had been here last time was gone, as were the bottles that used to sit on the kitchen counter.  Shara looked like she’d put on a bit more weight, too, and had actually gained a bit of color to her skin. 

“Can I get you anything?” Shara asked.  “Water, or...?”

“I’m good,” Del said.  Arcann echoed her. 

Shara’s eyes sharpened as she took a second look at Arcann.  Del could practically see the gears turning in her head, and could also see the exact moment that Shara decided that she had no desire to address the issue.  

“More tea for me, then,” she said.

Shara was steadier, too - Del didn’t remember a time when Shara’s hands hadn’t shook while operating the kettle.

“So,” Shara said, turning around and leaving the water to boil.  “It’s been a while.”

Del’s last visit hung in the air between them.  She remembered a bottle being thrown at her, missing her and shattering against the wall.  She remembered leaving while Shara sobbed into her couch cushions. She remembered doing the same thing once she got back to the  _ Seiryunn _ .  

“Yeah,” she said.  

The corner of Shara’s mouth lifted slightly.  “Den’il visited,” she said. “Talked me off the ledge, so to speak.”

It stung a little bit that Bazh had managed to get through to Shara when Del hadn’t.  That wasn’t really that surprising, though, considering that Bazh and Shara had known one another for far longer.

“That’s good,” she said, not sure of what else to say.  “So - things’re good then?”

Shara shrugged.  “As good as they can be,” she answered.  “I still get nightmares, sometimes, but I’m not on a painkiller regimen like Bazh is.”

Del had no idea what the Empire had done to Bazh and Shara, exactly.  She only ever saw the aftermath - the headaches, the vertigo. The chronic muscle pain, in Bazh’s case.  Based on said aftermath, though, she’d guess that it was some pretty nasty stuff. It made her want to shoot whatever sneering Sith Lord ordered it.  

Next to her, Arcann shifted uncomfortably, startling Del.  Shara glanced at him. 

“Something the matter?” she asked.

Arcann shook his head.

Shara shot Del a look as though to say ‘why did you bring him?’.  Del merely shrugged in return. It had seemed like a better idea than leaving him to fend for himself, especially since he’d proven an easy target for pickpockets.  Besides, he could benefit from getting to see what a little bit of kindness could do.

“Anything you wanted to talk to me about?” Del asked.  It was a question she always asked, just in case.

Shara’s smile returned, more tired than before.  “No, thank you,” she replied.

Del shifted in her seat.  “Okay. Well... I guess we’ll head out then.  If you need anything, gimme a shout.”

“I will.”  Shara had never commed her before.  Del doubted that she would start now.  

She and Arcann let themselves out, with Del only hesitating a moment before heading down the front steps.  Arcann was watching her curiously, and it was a bit weird, seeing his expression be so... open. Before his capture, Del had only ever seen him on a few galaxy-wide holocasts.  Back then it had just been the mask and his single eye; the rest of his face was obscured.

“What?” she asked him, for the second time that day.

He blinked.  “Apologies. Just thinking.”

They walked back to Raider’s Cove proper in silence.

* * *

 

Risha wasn’t  _ tailing  _ Vaylin, exactly.

Really, she wasn’t.  She and Vaylin just happened to be heading in the same direction, following a walkway that led down to the literal underworld of Raider’s Cove.  She had no doubt that Vaylin knew she was there, if her hunched shoulders were anything to go by. But it was easier for them both to pretend that she didn’t.

It wasn’t exactly hard to pick Vaylin out of the crowd, in the eye-watering yellow jumpsuit, but Risha had been right: passers-by barely glanced at her.  To the people in Raider’s Cove, Vaylin was just another pirate or smuggler or gangster or bounty hunter stopping for a break on Rishi, where people who operated in the galactic underworld could actually escape the scrutiny of Zakuul.  At least for a little while.

Risha didn’t feel particularly inclined to trust Vaylin on her own.  She could always tell when the younger woman was bottling up her temper.  The area around her became charged with static electricity, and her shoulders would stiffen.  It made Risha nervous. It would probably make the people of Raider’s Cove nervous, too, and they were a lot jumpier than she was.

Vaylin didn’t seem to have a destination in mind.  She walked at a leisurely place, but her gaze was assessing as she took in the undercity’s squalid conditions.  This was the kind of place where no one who had any choice stuck around for too long, where the despair seeped into the ground and stayed there.  Del would say that Risha was being dramatic, but even she had been uneasy on the rare occasion that she ventured there.

Risha sidestepped a houk.  She noted that there was a group of Jawa hanging around one of the undercity’s support struts.  A couple of trandoshans were hissing and growling at one another to her left, both glancing around nervously.  The air smelled faintly of sewage.

Risha turned her attention back to Vaylin, only to discover that she was no longer in sight.

“Shavit,” she muttered, craning her neck to see further in the direction Vaylin had been heading.

“Boo.”

Risha didn’t jump, but she did swear again, in several of the languages that she knew.  She wheeled around to find Vaylin behind her, smirking with her arms crossed. 

“I figured you were due for a little payback,” Vaylin said.  “For the jumpsuit.”

Thankfully, Risha was able to recover quickly.  “Aww, why are you so upset about it? It matches your eyes.”

Vaylin snorted in disgust, folding her arms.  Her eyes narrowed into slits. 

“Any reason you were following me?” she asked.

Risha debated for a moment, then decided that Vaylin was (hopefully) enough of an adult that she could handle the truth.  “I was making sure you didn’t get into any trouble,” she said. “Everyone in your family seems to have a bit of a temper. Except maybe Senya.  Also, I have literally no reason to trust you.”

Vaylin eyed her, but didn’t pull out her lightsaber and stab her, so Risha counted it as a win.  “Arcann doesn’t, these days,” she said, after a moment. Was that resentment in her voice?

“Doesn’t what?” she asked.

“Have a temper.”  Risha didn’t know what to say that, and they both paused awkwardly.

“Anyway, you don’t have to worry about me,” Vaylin finally said.  “I’m on my best behavior. I don’t need a minder.”

Risha shrugged.  “Well, too bad,” she said.  “If it really bothers you, don’t think of me as a minder, then.  Think of me as your... traveling companion.”

Vaylin rolled her eyes.

“So where are we going?”

“Nowhere,” Vaylin replied.  “I’m... sightseeing.”

“Down here?” Risha asked, not bothering to hide her disbelief.

“I saw the ramp down, I got curious,” snapped Vaylin.  “I suppose that’s a crime now.”

Risha waved her hand.  “No, it’s not that, it’s just... well, this is kinda the bottom of the barrel here.”

“Do you know, I had managed to figure that out on my own, thanks.”

“Then why are you still down here?”

Risha raised both eyebrows when she realized that Vaylin was blushing.  Seeing that she wasn’t about to admit it, she said, “You’re lost.”

“I - “

“C’mon,” Risha said, jerking her head to the right.  “Nearest walkway back up is this way.”

A younger Risha might’ve gloated, but she knew that provoking Vaylin was a mistake.  She started walking without checking to see if Vaylin was following her; if she wanted to stay down here and rot, then that wasn’t Risha’s problem.  She was only a little bit surprised when Vaylin silently caught up so that they were walking side-by-side. 

Another ramp came into view, and Risha let out a breath that she didn’t know she was holding.  Vaylin quickened her pace, forcing Risha to lengthen her stride to keep up. The static feeling was back.  She didn’t know if it was because of Vaylin’s annoyance towards her, or if there was some other cause.

“Hey!  Yara!”

Risha cringed, turning in the direction of the Rodian voice.  Approaching her was a mixed group - one Rodian in the lead, along with two Gamorreans, a Twi’lek, and four Weequay.  Risha smoothed over her expression, noting that Vaylin had paused a few steps up the walkway and was eyeing the confrontation with interest.

It looked as though Vaylin wouldn’t be the source of trouble after all.

“Hecta,” she said, voice dripping with false cheer.  “It’s been too long.”

She was glad that she had the foresight to use a fake name, back when she was working for Skavak.  

“Don’t give me that, sleemo,” hissed Hecta.  Her hand was already resting on the blaster she had holstered at her hip.  “You never got yours for your part in Skavak double-crossing us.”

“Look,” Risha sighed.  “Let’s not do this. Y’know my current boss is the Voidhound, yeah?  Notorious underworld enforcer? You really wanna get on her bad side?”

A few of the Weequay shuffled in place when she mentioned Del.  Del hardly lived up to the vicious reputation she’d gained over the years, but they didn’t need to know that.  

“She can do what she wants,” Hecta retorted.  “It’ll be worth it.”

Risha sighed.  “Look, what did he owe you?  Do you want money?”

“I want five years of my  _ life  _ back!” Hecta shrieked, unholstering her blaster.  “Your cheap trick landed us in prison!”

Risha let out a breath, slowly raising her hands.  Del always joked that Risha had a gift for talking her way out of situations.  Risha usually countered that Del was exaggerating, and that her powers of persuasion were far less impressive than Del made them out to be.

Sometimes she hated being right.

“Now, let’s not be hasty,” she said.  If she went for the rifle on her back, she’d be dead before she could even aim it.  “Why don’t we just - “

Before she could say another word, Hecta and all her cronies went flying.  They smash into one of the nearby support struts and collapsed in a heap on the ground.  Risha turned slowly to her left, afraid of what she was going to see. 

Vaylin’s hand was outstretched.  She lowered it, then glared at Risha.

“Are you just going to stand there?” she demanded.

Risha shook herself, then started running up the walkway, following behind Vaylin.  She could hear shouts behind them, though she couldn’t tell if it was Hecta and her crew or some bystanders.  A blaster bolt zipped through the air, narrowly missing her left side, and Risha covered her head with her arms while she ran.  

Next to her, Vaylin put the final nail in their coffin: she ignited her lightsaber and started batting blaster bolts back.

“Put that away!” hissed Risha.  Vaylin shot her a disbelieving look, but did as she was told.

The thing about Raider’s Cove was that no one bothered looking up at the sound of blaster fire.  Risha and Vaylin were able to keep running without anyone stopping them. She ducked down one of the narrower alleyways, racking her brains to try and remember where Bowdaar had parked the speeder.  

“Come on,” she said, taking the lead.  Vaylin silently followed.

It took only a few more twists and turns through the streets before Risha found the speeder parking area.  Del’s speeder was a distinct shade of blue, so it wasn’t hard to spot. She vaulted over the side, inputting the access code as Vaylin jumped in as well.

Risha’s heartbeat didn’t slow until they were well away from Raider’s Cove.

“You should’ve let me handle it,” she said.  

“You would’ve been shot,” Vaylin countered, “and you know it.”

“Well, we won’t know for sure, now will we,” Risha said.  “But that’s not what I mean. You could’ve just blown your cover.  They’ll be looking for me, and because they’re looking for me they’re going to remember you.  You used your  _ lightsaber _ .  If whoever’s hunting you and Arcann is good at what they do, they’re going to put two and two together.”

Vaylin didn’t seem to have anything to say to that.  

Risha hesitated, then added, “But thanks, anyway.”

She kept her eyes on her driving, but she knew Vaylin had just looked at her with both eyebrows raised.  She shrugged. “I like living, and I’ll be honest - I’m not confident I could’ve handled it.”

“Hmph.”  Vaylin folded her arms.  “Don’t expect it to be an everyday occurrence.”

Risha smiled.

* * *

 

Del could feel another headache coming on.

Almost everyone else was asleep.  She and Risha were sharing a bottle of wine on the deck, watching the glowflies.  Tau was somewhere meditating, and had declined to join them. 

“So,” Del said, after taking another swig from the bottle.  “Hecta.”

Risha sighed.

The night air was only a bit cooler than the air during the day, but the lack of sunlight made sitting outside almost pleasant by comparison.  Del loved the weather on Rishi, but Risha usually refused to venture outside unless they were going to Raider’s Cove. They were both reclining on Del’s lounge chairs; Del had been boneless until Risha brought up her ‘old friend’.

“Just... don’t be surprised if we get some visitors,” Risha warned.  “Hecta might not care about a woman matching Vaylin’s description using a lightsaber, but she might tell someone who will.”

“Alright,” Del said.  “Just when this was starting to feel like a vacation.”

“Mmm.  We don’t get many of those.”

Del passed the bottle back over to Risha.  Something else that Risha had said caught her attention.

“Wait,” she said.  “Vaylin saved you?”

“I know, I was surprised too.”

“Huh.”  Del leaned back in her chair, letting her hands rest at her sides.  “I’ll double-check the security system again tomorrow.”

She shook her head when Risha offered the bottle again, and turned her head to look up at the stars.  Already the itch was back under her skin, the  _ need  _ to be out there again, but she didn’t think anyone else in her crew would be happy to be stuck in the cramped quarters of the  _ Seiryunn  _ again.  Not this soon, anyway.  Her lekku quivered, in tune with her restlessness.  

“You’d love to be able to get back out there, wouldn’t you,” Risha asked.

Del chuckled.  “You know me too well.”

“Well, we’ve only been traveling together for... what - nine years, now?  So I’d hope so.” Risha stood up and stretched, plunking the bottle on the table that sat in between them.  “I’m gonna head to bed. Try to get some sleep, okay?”

“No promises.”

“I’ll tell Tau on you.”

“Alright, alright, I give,” Del said.  “Although Tau doesn’t exactly have any issues getting me into bed.”

Risha snorted.  “Didn’t ask, thanks.  Good night.”

Del only hummed in reply.  She stayed lounging in the deck chair for long enough that she was dozing by the time Tau came to find her.

“I see you and Risha were convalescing,” she said, her smile just barely visible in the starlight.  She sat on the edge of the chair, and Del reached out to grab her hand, interlacing their fingers. 

“She told me about what happened with her and Vaylin today,” she said.

Tau squeezed her hand.  “You’re worried.”

“A little,” Del admitted.  “Whoever’s targeting the Terrible Two, they’re good.  Maybe not Xeraye-level good, or Challaa-level, or even Daeshiel-level, but good enough that Xeraye wanted to hide the two of them.  I just hope  _ we’re  _ good enough to beat them.”

“I think we can handle a few assassins,” Tau said.

“If it’s just a few.”

“You’re not usually this maudlin,” Tau said.  “Something else wrong?”

Del shook her head.  “I’ll tell you when I’ve figured it out.”

They sat in silence for a few more moments, enjoying one another’s company, before Tau pulled her up and “convinced” her to come to bed.

* * *

 

Arcann woke up gasping.

He spent a few moments thrashing, clawing at his bedsheets, before he registered where he was.  Even then, the trembling wouldn’t stop. He forced himself to hold still, to breathe, to not grasp at his face, which felt like it was still on fire.  It took several minutes before he felt like he could stand without collapsing.

He felt Daeshiel reach out through their bond, projecting concern.  He sent her some brief, muted impressions of his nightmare and received understanding in return.

Scowling, he left, intending to head for the kitchen to brew a cup of caf.

It had been some time since he’d had that particular nightmare.  Pure, blinding pain on one side of his face. Not knowing where he was, or what he’d been doing.  The ghost of a hand gripping his forearm, while he gripped back - hard enough to bruise. 

He blinked in surprise when he saw that Vaylin was already in the kitchen.

“You projected,” she said flatly.  Dark circles had formed beneath her eyes.  She jerked her head at the caf maker on the counter.  “There’s still some left.”

Arcann only nodded in response, still too preoccupied to respond.  He poured the rest into a mug and sat at the kitchen island next to Vaylin.  She’d already drained half her mug. Now, her hands were on either side of it, curled tightly into fists.  

Unsure of how she would receive the gesture, Arcann carefully laid his hand on hers.  “I’m sorry.”

Vaylin gave him a sour look, but didn’t remove her hand.  “You haven’t had that nightmare in years.”

“No,” he admitted.  “I don’t know what brought it on.”

A shuffling noise made them both turn around, with Vaylin pulling her hand away.  Knight Idair stood in the doorway, a grim expression on her face. 

“Ever heard of shields?” she grumbled.  Then she sighed, the tension draining out of her.  “No, sorry, that was uncalled for. The worst nightmares tend to break through those anyway.”

She set herself to making a cup of tea, rather than brewing more caf.  She didn’t ask any questions about the nightmare, for which Arcann was grateful.  She chose a seat on the other side of the counter.

“I apologize,” Arcann said.  “I have only recently begun learning shielding techniques.  They were... not something our father encouraged.”

Tau stared.  “Even the Sith are taught to shield.  Valkorion didn’t teach you  _ anything _ ?”

Arcann looked down at his mug and took another sip before answering.  “Because of our strength, our father focused on teaching us to use projection as a weapon.  He wanted us to be able to overwhelm opponents with the brute strength of our minds alone. Only Vaylin learned shielding.”

Vaylin snorted.  “The kind that kept  _ me  _ in, but didn’t exactly keep others out.”

The look of horror that crossed Tau’s face was brief, but Vaylin caught it.  

“Don’t give me pity,” she snapped.  “I don’t want it. He’s out of our lives now.”

Arcann pushed his caf away; if he took another sip, he was going to vomit.  He knew what their father had done: forced shields upon Vaylin so many times that it was painful for Vaylin to lower them.  He was astonished that Vaylin was able to open herself up to the Force at all. No one he knew had ever been able to break them down, not forever.  It was still something that made the big brother part of him howl in rage.

He was grateful that his shields were back up again, so that Vaylin didn’t know what he was thinking.  

Tau had turned her attention back to him, now.  “If you want,” she said, “we can go through some exercises to help strengthen them.  Unless you’ve learned Sith shielding techniques. I don’t know those.”

“No, they’re Jedi,” he said.  Vaylin glanced at him, looking surprised.  “I would be grateful. Thank you.”

A few muffled curses came through the kitchen doorway, and then Guss stumbled in.  

“Who projected?” he groaned.  “Sithspit, I’ve never been hit that bad before.  I’m not even that strong in the Force.”

“I guess it’s a party now,” Tau said, chuckling.  “Tea or caf, Guss?”

“Neither,” Guss muttered, going straight for the liquor cabinet.

He didn’t even look before grabbing a bottle.  Arcann glanced at the label - Onderon rum. Guss at least had enough presence of mind to grab a shot glass from the cabinet.  Arcann was glad that he hadn’t reduced Guss to drinking straight from the bottle.

“Anyone else?” Guss asked.  Arcann shook his head. Vaylin looked like she was considering it, but ended up declining as well.

“Your loss,” Guss muttered, sliding onto the stool next to Tau.  “So what’s this I hear about shielding?”

“Nothing important,” Tau said.  Arcann shot her a grateful look.  “Besides, you don’t need any help in that department.  Your shields are more airtight than most Jedi I meet.”

“One of the only things I’m good at,” Guss agreed, downing a shot.  “Eugh. I’m gonna need a chaser for this. Evidently, though, my shields aren’t good enough, if something broke through.”

“All of us are here,” Tau pointed out.  “Your shields weren’t the problem.”

Arcann flushed, and opened his mouth - 

“If you apologize again, I  _ will  _ punch you,” Vaylin threatened.

The conversation became a bit more casual after that.  Guss opened up a little bit about his struggles with Jedi training.  Arcann listened with more than a little interest; he had never met a Jedi who claimed that he wasn’t really one, and who seemed to have such difficulty attaining the same kind of focus.  Yet here he was, with a lightsaber.

Tau talked about her training, too.  Hers seemed more standard, though she admitted to struggling with meditation and healing.  She also talked about being a part of the group of Jedi that followed Daeshiel, though she was unwilling to give too much away.  If that decision really had come at the expense of the rest of the Order, as some Jedi grumbled about, then Arcann could understand why.

“It’s a sore spot for some,” she said, and refused to elaborate.

As time and conversation flowed, Arcann’s eyelids started to grow heavy.  It took him several minutes to realize that the Force was nudging at him insistently, and he struggled to speak, to say something was wrong.  Guss was already unconscious, however, and Vaylin looked like she was struggling to stay awake too. Only Tau was still fully conscious, but her voice sounded as though it was coming through water.

He struggled for a moment more, long enough to spot the figure in the doorway.  He reached out to the Force and was able to throw the interloper into the wall. 

After that, the darkness took him.

* * *

 

Del had had some pretty terrible wakeup calls in the past.  Someone crashing through her balcony door didn’t even make the top five, but it still sucked.

She was already rolling off the side of the bed opposite the balcony, crouching behind it as several blaster bolts impacted on the wall behind her.  She activated her comm, then let out a piercing whistle. 

She didn’t have time to wait and see if her crew responded before the invader appeared at the foot of the bed.  Del didn’t even hesitate to tackle them, sending them both crashing to the ground. Del had the advantage in strength and weight, and was able to use her larger size to pin the attacker down.  

“I’ll take this,” she said, yanking the blaster out of their grip.  “Nighty night.”

She shot them point-blank.  Del wasn’t in the mood for mercy.

The sound of rockets alerted her to others.  Two more attackers. She didn’t recognize the armor or the weapons on them, but it was the same for both.  The jetpacks they wore were the source of the rocket noise. Del rolled back behind the bed again, hefting the blaster pistol she’d just nabbed and the one that rested on her bedside table.  She ducked beneath the bed and aimed for their legs. 

She swore when neither of them fell, even after a few well-placed hits.

“Get out of my house, you sons of Hutts!” she yelled, Following a hunch, she set her own pistol to the electro dart setting, and let out a cheer when one of the assailants crumpled.

Del scooted backwards, jumping up onto the bed just as the second attacker aimed their blaster pistol underneath it.  They weren’t looking up, so it was almost laughably easy to hit them with two headshots.

“Kriff you guys,” she grumbled.  “Kriff me, too,” she added, once her situation truly dawned on her.

The assassins that were after the Terrible Two were attacking.  They’d managed to disable her perimeter defenses. Only three of them had attacked her, which meant others were entering her lair at other entrances.  She only had one of her custom blaster pistols and a pistol she’d stolen from one of the intruders, and she wasn’t familiar with the settings. All her other equipment - grenades, vibroknives, etcetera - was back on the  _ Seiryunn _ .  And she was naked.

Her comm crackled to life.

“Captain!” Corso yelled.  “Me ‘n Bowdaar are tryin’ to get through these guys, but they’ve got us pinned!  Listen - we checked Arcann and Vaylin’s rooms. They ain’t there.”

“Triple  _ shavit _ !” shouted Del.  “Whatever, listen - keep yourselves safe.  I took down the assholes that attacked me; I’ll look for them.”

_ I just hope they’re still alive. _

She switched off her comm; it wouldn’t do to have it make noise while she was trying to sneak up on the assassins.  She moved quickly and quietly, as training she hadn’t had to use in over a decade kicked in. It felt like being a part of another stealth op again, creeping through the estate of whatever rich bastard had decided to take up on Ryloth, where the slaving profit was greatest.

Del took a left from her room, staying close to the wall and holding both blasters at the ready.  She strained her ears for any telltale signs - breathing, the shuffling of footsteps, the click of a safety being released.

The kitchen, the rec room, and the swimming pool were all between her and the rest of the bedrooms.  She stopped at another corner, peering around it to see two shadows slipping silently down the hallway.

Del aimed, breathed, and fired.

Both shots hit.  One was a successful headshot, downing the assassin who’d been closer to her, but the other only grazed a shoulder.  She ducked just in time to avoid retaliating fire, and her breath froze in her chest when something metal clanked on the floor in front of her.

She lunged aside, but it was too late - the blast flung her further back down the hall, searing her skin.  She bit her lip hard enough to draw blood.

Thinking through the pain was  _ hard _ .  Del had forgotten just how karking hard it could be.  But she did it, forcing herself to stand and continue running back down the hallway while she still had cover from the smoke.  She ran past her bedroom and out into the garage, ducking behind Risha’s workbench when she saw that four more assassins were there, guarding the speeder that they’d used to get to the estate.

Del bared her teeth.  So the sleemos thought they could just drive right into the place like they owned it, did they?

The nice thing about the garage was that Risha tinkered with anything and everything.  Which included all manner of incendiary devices.

Del silently but profusely thanked the Goddess for prompting her to teach Vaylin how to build grenades - and, as a result, refreshing her memory on the subject.

With a slightly evil grin, Del set to work.

* * *

 

The assassins were good, with a capital ‘g’.

So far, from looting the one that had burst into Risha’s room, she’d found four electro-grenades, blasters with five different settings (including a cryo-freeze setting), two vibroknives, four regular grenades, and two blast charges that were clearly intended for leveling the house once the deed was done.

The fact that they hadn’t bothered to start setting the charges yet meant that Arcann and Vaylin were still alive.  That was something.

She took the knives and the blaster but left the rest, then ducked back into her room to grab one of her belts.  There wasn’t time to get fully dressed, but she could at least ensure that she wasn’t going up against who-knew-how-many fully equipped assassins with only a blaster and her pajamas.

Footsteps made her whirl around, aiming the blaster, but it was Akaavi, who raised both her hands in the air.  For the first time since Risha had known her, she wasn’t wearing her armor; instead, she was dressed only in a shift that went down to her knees.

“I have killed two,” Akaavi said quietly.  “You?”

“Just one,” Risha whispered.  “Whoever these people are, they mean business.”  She eyed the scorch mark on Akaavi’s arm. “You good to fight?”

“I know you are not a Mandalorian,” Akaavi replied, scowling, “so I will not take that as an insult.”

“Okay, fine,” Risha muttered.  “Should’ve known better.”

“I overheard some comm chatter earlier,” Akaavi said.  “Corso and Bowdaar are pinned by the assassins, but they seem to be holding out fine.  Del is going to try to find Arcann and Vaylin. They were not in their rooms.”

“Fantastic,” Risha replied.  “I’m open to suggestions.”

Drunk weequay who were squatting were one thing, but this was something else.  Another situation that Risha couldn’t simply talk her way out of, and now one of the only places that she felt safe was being invaded.  She felt vulnerable and exposed in her sleepwear, even with the blaster and the knives. It was hard to ignore the cold trickle that went down her spine, and it was hard to control the shaking in her hands.  

“We should attempt to move towards central complex,” Akaavi said.  “If we want to drive these assassins out, we need to get a better foothold than guest habitation.  We should also try to regroup, and as I have not been able to raise anyone else on the comms, that is our best chance.”

“Okay, fine,” Risha said.  “But you can go first, brave Mandalorian.”

Akaavi had already turned around and was heading for the door, but Risha was certain that she’d rolled her eyes.  

The good thing about Akaavi, in times like these, was that - in true Mandalorian fashion - she was nigh unstoppable.  She moved with a deadly grace, her electrostaff crackling in her hands, and she hit her opponents with enough force that one blow was usually all it took.  Risha only had to provide cover fire for her. 

They were within sight of the door leading to the kitchen when one of the assassins who were standing at the door landed a hit.  Akaavi didn’t make a sound; she merely barreled into her attacker, lifting him bodily and slamming him into his compatriot. Risha would’ve whistled in admiration, if there’d been time.

Akaavi slammed herself into the door, then let out a frustrated yell.  “It’s locked!”

“Assholes got into our system,” Risha said. “Move, I can hotwire it.”

Akaavi was kind enough to rip the control panel off the door.  Risha didn’t hesitate, plunging her hands into the mess of wires.  She burned her fingers a few times trying to get the wires loose, but persevered through the pain, eventually connecting the two wires needed to bypass the security system.

“There,” she said, and the door slid open.

Akaavi rushed through.  Risha was right behind her, and had only a split second to take in the scene in front of her:

Guss was drooling on the counter, his eyes glazed over.  Arcann and Vaylin were both on the floor, unconscious; neither seemed to have any life-threatening injuries.  Tau was on all fours on the floor, panting and looking like she was struggling just to stay awake. Her lightsaber was broken on the floor in front of her.  

Standing before her, with their lightsaber poised to strike, was a Knight of Zakuul.

“No!” Akaavi shouted, throwing herself at them.  She raised her electrostaff just in time to catch the blow, deflecting it away from Tau.  Risha hurried forward, dragging Tau away from the fight.

“Gassed us,” Tau said, her words slurred.  “We gotta...”

“Okay,” Risha said, moving Tau - damn, the woman was heavy - so that she was propped up against the wall.  “Okay, just - save your energy - “

Tau shook her head.  “Wegottago,” she slurred.  “More...”

Risha’s blood ran cold.  “More?” she asked, her voice edged with panic.  “There are more coming?”

But whatever Tau had been doing to fight off the effects of the gas must’ve worn off, because her eyes closed and her head lolled to the side.  

“Son of a Hutt,” hissed Risha.  

A cry drew her attention back to the fight between Akaavi and the Zakuul Knight.  Akaavi was still holding her staff, but her other arm was outstretched awkwardly. Bile rose in her throat as she watched one of Akaavi’s hands flop to the floor like a dead fish.  Her blood pounded in her ears as she stared at the severed appendage, as it dawned on her that after years of getting out of scrapes, their luck had finally run out - 

Akaavi let loose a gutteral war cry, and then kicked the Knight in the chest - hard.

It was enough to drive them back a few steps.  Risha took aim with her blaster and squeezed off as many shots as she could before the Knight had the sense to start batting them back at her.  They had to live, they had to get through this, they had to  _ go _ . 

The other door to the kitchen opened, and Risha had never been so relieved to hear a Wookiee’s roar in her life.  

Bowdaar charged in, much the same way that Akaavi had earlier, vibrosword at the ready.  Corso followed, already firing at the Knight and dressed in his pajamas, like the rest of them.  Risha laid down suppressing fire when she didn’t have the risk of hitting either Bowdaar or Akaavi.

The Knight let out a roar of frustration, and before Risha could register what was happening she was picked up, flung into the wall, and held fast there.  She saw Bowdaar, Akaavi, and Corso in the same position, all struggling to move.

“The traitors will be brought to justice!” the Knight proclaimed, holding out one hand to keep them pinned.  The other held their lightsaber as they approached Arcann and Vaylin’s prone forms. No amount of thrashing on Risha’s part brought her closer to freeing herself.  She could see her desperation mirrored on the faces of the others.

The very last thing she expected to see in that moment was her naked captain, armed with two blaster pistols, charging into the room screaming and bringing down the Knight of Zakuul with two well-placed shots.

Risha and the others dropped to the floor.  Del collapsed to the ground, gasping for air, and Risha registered the nasty looking burns all over her blue skin.  

“Gods,” she groaned.  “Everyone got kriffed to hell today, didn’t they?”

Del let out a weak laugh.  It was a testament to how battered they all were that no one gave a womprat’s ass about Del’s nudity, in that moment.  

Remembering Tau’s warning, Risha stood quickly.  “We have to go,” she said. “Now. Tau said more are coming.”

“I swear to the Goddess,” Del snarled.  “If they blow up my lair - “

“Captain, no offense,” Corso said, already working with Akaavi to get Arcann off the ground, “but that’s the least of our worries.”

“I know,” Del sighed.  “Shavit, we’ve got so many people to move - let’s hope they haven’t blown up my ship, at least.  I’ll take Guss. Bowdaar - you’ve got Tau. Risha - sorry, but you’re gonna have to get Vaylin.”

Risha was bone-tired and sore, but she gave a two-fingered salute and proceeded to hoist Vaylin up onto her back.

Whatever reinforcements were coming hadn’t arrived yet, and they had (miraculously) not blown up the  _ Seiryunn _ .  Once everyone was on board, Del didn’t hesitate to take off, keeping as low to the ground as she could until they were at least a few klicks away from the estate.  She didn’t know if there were any Eternal Fleet ships in orbit, and she didn’t want to find out. Only then did Del turn the ship and focus on getting into space and, beyond that, hyperspace.

“Where’re we headed?” Risha asked, slumping in the co-pilot’s chair.  Normally it would be Corso’s job, but he’d passed out shortly after getting Guss to the medbay, and the buzz of adrenaline hadn’t left Risha yet.

“Odessen,” Del replied.  Her voice was uncharacteristically grim.  “Me and Akaavi need kolto, and I’m not risking the doctor I’m friends with on Rishi.  If we take a straight jump there, the Knights of Zakuul won’t dare to follow us. Natrilla knows she’s not strong enough to take Odessen yet.  We’ll just have to hope that Xeraye’s finished her investigation and outed the spies. If not, we can at least tell her that they’re definitely Natrilla’s spies.”

“Yeah,” Risha said.  “Okay. Please go to the medbay.  Put on a gown, or something.”

Del smiled wanly.  “Good idea.”

She didn’t make a single quip as she left the room - and that left Risha more worried than ever.

* * *

 

Vaylin had never gotten drunk enough to have a hangover, but she imagined that it probably felt something like this.

She’d awoken with the mother of all headaches.  The slightest turn of her head made it throb, and she winced against the lights.  Squeezing her eyes shut again, she listened, trying to figure out where she was.

The last thing she remembered - she’d been dozing off in Del’s kitchen.  She’d gotten the brief impression that something was very, very wrong before she’d blacked out.  Now, judging by the hum of engines and the faint vibration she could feel, she was back on a ship again.  She reached up and felt for her clothes - still her nightgown.

“You’re awake.”

Vaylin was brave enough to open one eye, peering blearily at Arcann, who sat at the side of her bed.  The light hurt a bit less, so she opened the other eye as well, taking in her surroundings.

She was in the medbay of the  _ Seiryunn _ .  She’d walked past it enough times while they were traveling to Rishi, but the Zabrak woman’s glare had been enough to prevent her from actually entering.  Now, the Zabrak was on another of the cots, apparently asleep. Her right hand had been reduced to a stump, which was wrapped in gauze. Past her, on the third bed and wearing a loose gown, was Del, also asleep.  Vaylin could see fresh burns crawling up her neck.

Arcann followed her gaze.

“We were gassed,” he said, keeping his voice low.  “While we were unconscious, Captain Rylie and her crew fought to keep us alive and to escape from Rishi.  Almost everyone was injured during the attack.”

“Then why isn’t everyone else in here with us?” Vaylin asked.  

“Their injuries were minor,” Arcann replied.  “Spar lost her hand in a direct confrontation with one of them.  Captain Rylie was caught in a grenade blast. Knight Idair is in hers and Captain Rylie’s quarters, still in a healing trance.  She was the only one of us who managed to remain conscious despite being gassed, but she used too much of the Force to do so.”

Vaylin sat up, wincing when pain lanced through her head.  Arcann noticed.

“A side effect from the gas,” he explained.  “It should fade quickly, once you’ve had something to eat and drink.”

Vaylin nodded absently, her eyes still on Del and - Spar, was what Arcann had called the Zabrak.  

Vaylin had never asked her name.

“Where are we going?” she asked.

“Back to Odessen,” Arcann said.  “Riggs commed ahead once he took over piloting the ship.  Thankfully, Commander Mynos, Beniko, and Mother have finished rooting out the traitors.  It’s safe for us to return. Spar and Captain Rylie both need medical attention from the Alliance, anyway - all of the kolto packs they had on board have been used on Del’s burns and Akaavi’s stump”

He stopped, suddenly looking sick to his stomach.  To her surprise, Vaylin empathized.

Were Spar a Zakuulan citizen, it would be a simple matter for her to have a prosthetic installed.  It would be easy for Del to get surgery to fix her burns. But they were not, and Vaylin didn’t know what kind of medical care the Alliance had.  Did they have the resources for prosthetic installation? Did the Republic, or the Empire?

Why was it that Vaylin and Arcann were the ones unconscious when the assassins had been after  _ them _ ?  Why were they unconscious when they were the ones who stood the best chance at victory?

“You should know,” Arcann said after a moment, his face darkening, “that the leader of the assassins was a Knight of Zakuul.”

Vaylin bared her teeth.  “Natrilla is barely more than a  _ child _ , don’t tell me she - “

“She has proven time and again that she is not to be underestimated,” Arcann interrupted, shooting her a warning look.  “Hopefully this will prompt some in the Alliance to start taking her more seriously. She has no intention of giving up the galaxy without a fight, and that fight could still very well destroy the Alliance if Commander Mynos isn’t careful.”

“Commander Mynos captured both of us, in the end,” Vaylin pointed out.  “Our esteemed second-cousin isn’t even Force-sensitive.”

“And yet she managed to nearly kill us both.  By proxy, it’s true, but my argument still stands.”

That was a point that Vaylin couldn’t argue with.  

She shoved the med blanket off of her, standing.  “Are our bedrolls still near the bar?”

Arcann stood as well, nodding.  

“Then I’m going to get some sleep,” Vaylin said.  “It’s cold in here.”

Fifteen minutes later, after tossing and turning in the darkened room, Vaylin wondered if she was kidding herself.  The gas had worn off, but it seemed like it had left a nauseating pit in her stomach. Gritting her teeth in frustration, she sat up on her bedroll, falling into the meditative pose she’d sometimes seen Arcann use.

Closing her eyes, Vaylin tried to let her breathing even out.  She wasn’t quite able to rid herself of the shakiness in her exhales, but she got close enough that she felt comfortable trying to open herself up to the Force.

It was like pulling teeth.  The amount of effort it took to tug her shields down, to allow the Force to flow through her, was staggering, as it often was.  She let out a breath once it was done, feeling raw and exposed. 

There was a thread of pain throughout the ship, leading to each of its occupants.  Tau had it through her link with Del, whose pain was the worst. Vaylin could sense the tension it caused in her, even in sleep.  Next to her, Spar ( _ Akaavi _ , the Force whispered) was in a similar situation.  Corso, Risha, Bowdaar, and Guss - all of whom were sleeping in the crew quarters, weren’t in as much pain, but they, too, were linked to their captain.  It wasn’t a Force bond, but it was still there when she looked hard enough. Their connections were all messily tangled together, and by observing it through the Force, Vaylin could see how wrong it was.

Without thinking, Vaylin reached out, towards the center of the tangle, and tried to unwind it.

Immediately it felt like her body was on fire.  She nearly screamed, but pushed on, her teeth sinking into her lip as she did.  The threads she’d been sensing wrapped around her, and she knew that she was feeling what Del had felt in the moment the grenade went off, and what Akaavi had felt when the Knight’s lightsaber had sliced through her wrist.  She felt it all, and kept working, kept going until the tangle was undone.

Vaylin collapsed - both physically and in the Force.  She could no longer keep her shields down, and they snapped back into place, muting everything.  She was unable to support her own weight and lay sprawled on the bedroll, covered in sweat and breathing heavily.  Her limbs were trembling.

The yawning pit in her stomach was gone, though.  

Vaylin got up and headed for the fresher.  She really,  _ really  _ needed a shower.

* * *

 

After watching Arcann walk past the door to the medbay for the third time, Del rolled her eyes.

“You might as well come in,” she called.  

Arcann paused, looking sheepish.  “My apologies if I disturbed you,” he said, stepping into the doorway but not moving any further.

Kriff that.  Del waved him in, ignoring the placid look Akaavi shot her.  She was propped up today; her right side still burned like hell, but the painkiller she was on was enough to at least make it bearable.  

Arcann moved into a parade rest pose.  Probably instinctive. “We are just an hour away from Odessen, now,” he said.  

“Thank the goddess,” Del said.  “I hate kolto tanks, but I’ll let the Alliance medics shove me in one for a week if it means I don’t have to feel like this ever again.”

Something flashed across Arcann’s face at her words.  It didn’t take a genius to figure out what he was thinking, but Del refused to acknowledge it.  Arcann was going to have to work through his own guilt over this. Anything she said would only be a false comfort.

“You’ll likely have scars,” Akaavi said.

“Buzzkill.”

Akaavi smirked.  “I stay here to keep you grounded in reality.  Sometimes you need it to knock you in the head.”

“Yeah, well, maybe reality can stay out of it for once,” Del groused.  “Anyway, what’s on your mind, Arcann?”

At the very least none of them were dressed in their pajamas anymore.  Well, except her. It wasn’t even really pajamas, if she was being honest with herself.  Just an uncomfortable medbay gown. Arcann was wearing another borrowed outfit from Corso - a jacket and pants combo that didn’t suit him at all.  She almost wished that he was still wearing the Jedi robes, but those had been left on Rishi.

“I wanted to thank you for saving our lives,” Arcann said, without preamble.

Ah.  Not an apology, but a thank-you instead.  Points for Arcann. 

“‘S not a problem,” Del said, shrugging.  “It was kind of implied in the deal, right?  Besides, I’m 90 percent sure that they were gonna kill us too.  Saving you and getting the hell out of there was a win-win.”

In fact, morale was pretty high, in spite of everything that had happened.  Normally, after something like this, it would take a little longer for her crew to get over shellshock.  Instead, everyone seemed focused and... upbeat, even. Del wasn’t sure what had caused it, but she wasn’t going to look a gift blurrg in the mouth.

“All the same,” Arcann said, bowing his head.  “Thank you.”

Del’s grin faded a bit.  “Tau come out of her healing trance yet?”

“She did,” he said, and Del perked up; next to her, Akaavi looked up as well.  “I believe she is sleeping for real now.”

“Good.”

Busting into the kitchen, and seeing Tau motionless across the room... Del’s heart had nearly stopped, and she’d almost given the dead Knight of Zakuul a kick for good measure.  She felt like she could truly relax, now that she knew that Tau would be fine.

Though she still wished that she’d kicked the Knight.  For Akaavi, if nothing else.

“May I ask you something?”

Del blinked, then chuckled.  “Pretty sure you just did.”

To his credit, Arcann didn’t roll his eyes.  “Why did you agree to hide us?”

Well, he certainly didn’t hold back when it came to asking tough questions.  Del chewed on her lip, unable to stop her lekku from twitching a few times. It wasn’t that she didn’t know why, per se - she just wasn’t sure how to put it into words.  

“You and Vaylin agreed to cooperate with the Alliance after your capture,” she said.

It wasn’t a question, but Arcann answered anyways.  “For not entirely altruistic reasons, if we’re being honest.”

“I don’t know what your reasons were,” Del said.  “If we’re being honest, then I’ll say it. You and Vaylin -  _ both  _ of you, no matter who the ruler was at the time - you put the galaxy through a whole lot of shavit.  Sure, you left us alone for a lot of the time, but before the treaties were signed you left a whole lot of devastation behind you, and then stripped both the Empire and the Republic of the resources that were needed to fix it.  Not that I think for one second either of them would’ve bothered to actually try, as focused on war as they are. Let’s not even get into the five planets you bombed until there was next to nothing left.”

Arcann was stone-faced as she laid out his actions in front of him.  

“But you agreed to cooperate,” Del said.  “Xeraye’s a good person, at her core. One of the best I know.  She wants to help the galaxy heal from all that. Agreeing to help means that you want that, in some way, as well.  And I... I don’t want to stop you from doing that. I think it’s a waste, especially when the two of you could do a  _ lot  _ to help.  Others might disagree.  I don’t care. I’m not the kind of person who dishes out punishment.

“More importantly...”  She paused. She had to tread carefully.  “You’re trying to move past what your father made you into, and that’s a lot harder, in some ways.”

Arcann’s expression didn’t change.  

Del smiled crookedly.  “You’re gonna be okay, kid,” she said, echoing words that had been spoken to her, so many years ago.  “I dunno if anyone’s ever said that to you. But you will. You just gotta believe it, and work for it.”

Arcann stared at her, and Del looked away as discreetly as she could while he wiped his eyes.  

“Thank you,” he said, his voice hoarse.  

“You’re welcome,” she replied.  “Can you help me up? I wanna be in the cockpit for the landing.  I trust Corso, but only mostly.”

Arcann raised a dubious eyebrow.  “Should you really be moving?” he asked.  

“Yeah,” she lied.  

“No,” he countered, and this time he really did roll his eyes.  But he came over to her bed and helped her stand, guiding her towards the door.  “I have suffered similar injuries, you know,” he said, gesturing vaguely at his face.  “Enough to know that you really  _ shouldn’t  _ be moving.”

“And yet you’re helping me.”

“If I didn’t,” he said, “I have no doubt that you’d find your way to the cockpit anyway.”

“Oh, you already think you know me, huh?  Well, okay, in this case, you’re absolutely right, but still.”

Arcann laughed, and Del grinned.  The kid had a nice laugh, she decided.  He ought to use it more often.

Their landing went smoothly, as she’d predicted it would, and she was rushed to the medbay as soon as they disembarked, along with Akaavi.  The next three days were spent floating in a kolto tank until her burns healed as much as they could, though the scars would likely never go away.  Akaavi spent those three days arguing against receiving a prosthetic, her glare enough to keep both surgeons and technicians away from her, until Bowdaar came in and had a quiet conversation with her.  After that, Akaavi vanished during the third day and came back with a port installed.

“How’s it feel?” Del asked, shrugging one of her jackets on.  Damn, but it felt good to wear real clothes again. 

“Strange,” Akaavi answered, staring down at it.  “Not just because of the port, but - I keep forgetting that my flesh hand isn’t there.”

Del winced.  “Really wish I’d kicked that Knight,” she muttered.

“You killed him,” Akaavi said evenly.  “That is enough.”

“You know it’s okay to  _ not  _ be calm about this, right?”

Akaavi continued to stare down at the port, but after a long moment of silence, murmured, “I know.”

They were given another few days to rest and recover, with the rest of the crew mingling with the other smugglers that had stopped on Odessen.  Del got along with most of the spacers in Hylo’s network, and as a result her crew was looked upon favorably by them. Akaavi had her prosthetic installed, was given a maintenance kit, and told that she was all set.  

“Well, not really,” the technician - a tall, thin Muun - said, shifting.  “Ordinarily we’d recommend physical therapy, but all of our physical therapists have a full schedule, and since you’re not an official part of the Alliance, well...”

A little bit of indignation rose in Del, even though she knew the technician was right.

“That is fine,” Akaavi said.  “The exercises you have given me will do.”

They were still sitting in the medbay, both of them having received a final checkup and were told that they were free to go.  Del was still a bit sore, but apparently that was to be expected and wasn’t a warning sign. She kept having to stop herself from reaching up and rubbing the scars that now crawled up her neck.  It reminded her a little bit too much of the scars left over from a slave collar.

The technician paused before heading back to the medical office.  “I almost forgot - Captain Rylie, Commander Mynos has requested your presence in her office.”

“Ooooof course she has,” Del sighed.  “Alright.” Turning to Akaavi, she said, “See if you can find the others, and have them meet us back at the  _ Seiryunn _ .  I won’t be long.”

“Very well,” Akaavi said.  

Del straightened her shoulders and left the medbay, walking the familiar halls of the Alliance base.  She knew the way from past experience. It wasn’t often that she was called to speak to Xeraye directly, but if her hunch was right, then they were about to rehash a conversation they’d already had several times before.

Xeraye should’ve known better.  Del’s answer wasn’t going to change.

Xeraye’s office was on the second-highest level of the base, just beneath the observation dome.  It was at the far end of the hall from the turbolift, which meant that Del had to walk past the rest of the offices to get there.  Most of the doors were closed, but she glimpsed Theron Shan through one door. 

She rang the doorchime.  Xeraye’s voice rang out in reply.  “Enter.”

The Togrutan was standing in front of the window behind her desk, with her hands folded behind her back.  Even in the simple black robes she wore, she still looked every bit like a Sith plotting the downfall of the galaxy.  Only those that knew her would know how far from the truth that was.

Xeraye turned around to face her.  “Captain Rylie,” she said, by way of greeting.  “Have a seat.”

She sat in the nondescript metal chair in front of the desk, and took a moment to observe.

There were certain things that Del used to associate with Xeraye: rich fabrics, intimidating armor, elaborate headdresses.  Image had been important for Xeraye, and she had carefully crafted hers so that no one in the Sith Empire would ever have any doubt that she was the Emperor’s Wrath, in spite of her species.  Any Sith who saw her now, in her plain clothes and without any headdress at all, would laugh at the idea.

Not that that mattered to Xeraye.  She just had a different image to cultivate now.

“To start,” Xeraye said, sitting down in her own chair with one graceful movement.  “I wish to thank you, on behalf of the Alliance, for your bravery in the defense of my advisors.  They are alive because of you, and the actions of your crew.”

Del only nodded.  This was protocol.  It wasn’t why Xeraye had called her here.

“In that same vein of discussion,” Xeraye continued, “I wish to once again formally recruit you to the Alliance.”

“No.”

Xeraye’s expression tightened.  “Del - “

“My answer hasn’t changed,” Del said, keeping her tone gentle.  She loved Xeraye - always would - but she wouldn’t do this for her.  

To her surprise, Xeraye accepted defeat quickly, slumping in her chair.  “Very well,” she said. “But I would request one thing of you. You have never explained to me why you refuse to join the Alliance in an official capacity.  I wish to know.”

“Okay, I’ll tell you.”  Del sighed, leaning back in her chair.  “Just... gimme a sec, okay?”

Xeraye nodded her acceptance.  

While she figured out the words she needed to use, Del looked around Xeraye’s office.  It was mostly bare, apart from the desk, which was ordered neatly. Datapads were stacked in the corner.  There was a row of datachips on the left side of the desk. A few sheet of flimsiplast, all in one stack in the center of the table.  

And on the left side, a holo.  Of Xeraye and Beniko.

“It’s like this,” Del said, looking back up at Xeraye.  “The Alliance is good, I know that. You’re our only reasonable shot at getting Zakuul off our backs.  But you’re still fighting a war.”

“That was never in doubt,” Xeraye pointed out.

“That’s my point,” Del said.  “I’ve fought in a war before, believe it or not.  I never talked much about growing up on Ryloth, but that was pretty much my childhood.  Fighting against the slavers. It was all my parents knew how to do, so it was all I knew how to do, too.  We would fight, free the slaves, take down the bad guys, blah blah blah. Then we left, and the people who were still there had to pick up the pieces.

“The point is, I know how war can make you forget about those people.  I mean, it’s not like you have much of a choice - you  _ have  _ to move on, take advantage of the momentum while you can.  But in the end, you aren’t able to help the people that you’re actually fighting for.  War sucks like that.”

Del swallowed, looking Xeraye in the eye.  “That’s what I’ve been doing. Cleaning up the messes.  Doing whatever I can, wherever I can, to try to repair some of the damage that Arcann and Vaylin and yes, you, have done during the fight.  Going back to Rishi will be dangerous for us, but I  _ have  _ to go back.  I have to take care of the people that I left there, potentially at Natrilla’s mercy.”

She fell silent after that, holding back the rest of the words - the words about the guilt she felt at Akaavi’s lost hand, for taking the job of protecting Arcann and Vaylin without even really consulting her crew.  She didn’t say that she wouldn’t be making that mistake again. 

Somehow, she got the feeling that Xeraye heard it all anyway.

“I cannot say that I fully understand,” Xeraye said, after a moment.  “I am of the opinion that the sooner this war is over, the sooner the healing can begin.”

Del smiled.  “You’re not wrong,” she said.  “But I’m not, either. Let me do what I do best.  I’m wasted as a soldier, and you know it.”

Xeraye hesitated for a moment, then nodded.  “Sleight of hand is more your style,” she mused.  “You’d make an excellent spy, you know.”

Del grimaced.  “I’ll leave that to Bazh and Shan and that lot.  I’m good.”

She left Xeraye’s office feeling a little bit lighter, heading for the hangar.  She was slightly surprised to see Arcann already there, conversing with the crew.  Her lekku drooped a bit when she got there and saw Tau standing and talking with the others as well, shaking hands and whatnot.  All the telltale signs of farewell.

Shavit, she’d forgotten about that.  

Del made her way over, shouldering her pack and bracing herself emotionally.  Corso the one who noticed her approaching; when she reached them, he clapped her on the shoulder and said loudly, “We’ll give you two a minute, Captain.”

“Thanks, Corso,” she said.  “Can you take care of the pre-flight checks for me?”

He mock-saluted her, then followed the rest of her crew up the ramp.  Arcann didn’t seem to feel the need to speak to Del, giving her a respectful nod before heading for the hangar exit.

Del turned to Tau, who was watching her with a sad smile.

“Forgot you were always planning to stay here,” Del admitted.  She remembered now; remembered Daeshiel giving Tau permission to operate out of Odessen from then on.  

“Yeah,” Tau said.  “And I forgot that you weren’t planning to stick around.  I get it. I know you can do more good elsewhere.”

Tau probably knew better than anyone else.  Del had spent many a late night with her, discussing her own internal conflict about helping with clean up on various planets rather than fighting against Zakuul directly.  It was during those conversations that she reasserted her place in the galaxy, and made peace with the knowledge that she was always going to be more effective working outside the Alliance.

“And I know you’ll do a lot of good here,” Del said.  “Natrilla’s not gonna know what hit her. I wish I could see the look on her face.”

“I’ll take holos for you,” Tau said, winking.  

Del laughed.  She sobered up quickly.  “I love you,” she said, grabbing both of Tau’s hands in hers.  “Be careful.”

Tau leaned forward, kissing her for a few breathless moments.  “I love you too,” she said, once she’d pulled away. Del lingered for a few more moments, unwilling to let go of Tau, but in the end she did.  

She smiled as she ascended the ramp.  It wasn’t goodbye. Not really.

* * *

 

Arcann left dinner early to see off Captain Rylie and her crew.  Vaylin didn’t. She didn’t think she could stand to even look at them again.  

She wondered if that made her a coward.  She tried to tell herself that it didn’t; after all, she had her own plans to attend to, but still the gnaw of guilt was there.  In particular she would miss Del, and her incorrigible sense of humor, and (surprisingly) Risha, with her refreshing frankness. 

She abandoned her unfinished meal - some kind of vegetable stew, in which she recognized none of the vegetables.  She made her way out of the mess hall, ignoring the way she could feel people’s eyes on her.

The attitude towards herself and Arcann on base was more curious than hostile, now that they’d survived several assassination attempts.  She didn’t really understand how getting attacked could make people sympathize with her when the attack did nothing to negate her own past actions.  Core-worlders were weird.

She wasn’t sure where to go, exactly, so she headed to the Force enclave, where Sana-Rae taught some of the younger Alliance initiates.  She’d debated on going to the hangar, where Aygo was, instead, but had decided against it. Aygo would probably look at her like she’d grown a second head if she went to him with her request.

The only person to notice her entrance was a Jedi Knight she’d only met once - Kira Carsen, who had apparently been the Padawan learner of the Hero of Tython.  Challaa Kitrann herself was nowhere to be seen. Vaylin wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

“Hey Vaylin,” Kira said, crossing her arms.  She was refreshingly informal, for a Jedi. “D’you have a fever or something?  You usually avoid this place like the plague.”

“Ha ha.”  Vaylin came to a stop before her, uncertain of how to word her request.  Kira raised both eyebrows, but she didn’t say anything. Finally, after Vaylin failed to come up with any way to word it so that it didn’t sound foolish, she blurted out, “I want to fight.”

Kira blinked.  “O...kay?” she said.  “Do you want to fight me?  Because I’m no slouch, but that’d be a bit of an issue.”

“Not like that you imbecile,” snapped Vaylin, the insult escaping her before she could stop it.  She took a deep breath, reigning herself in. “I mean - I want to fight for the Alliance. Go on missions.  Whatever. And - I don’t know who to talk to about this, but I... want training.”

“You’re gonna have to be specific about what kind of training,” Kira said.  “Jedi training? Sith training? Voss mystic training? Because those are all very different things.  We’ve got a couple of Order of Shasa adepts here, too, and that’s yet another one...”

“I don’t  _ know _ ,” Vaylin said, deliberately not reaching up to tug at her hair.  “Just something other than what I do know. I don’t want to be  _ this _ , anymore.  And I want to fight.  I want to be useful.”

“Okay.”  Kira nodded, though she looked about as confused as Vaylin felt.  “Alright. Yeah. I can look into something for you. Sana-Rae’ll probably have a few ideas.  Just to warn you, the training will happen before any missions will.”

“I don’t care.”

Vaylin just wanted  _ something _ .  Something other than the shields she couldn’t get rid of, and needing to use pain to access the Force, and the suffocating weight of it all.  She wanted to never be as helpless as she’d been on Rishi (on Nathema) again. She wanted to feel like she deserved the mercy and protection she’d been given here, because ignoring it was no longer an option for her.  

Kira was studying her with a thoughtful look on her face, now.  “I have an idea,” she said slowly. “I’ll get back to you about it in a few days.  Okay?”

“Fine.  Good.” Not wanting to be in the Force enclave any longer than she had to, Vaylin turned around and fled the room.  She felt Kira’s gaze on her back the entire way.

**Author's Note:**

> If you have questions for me or just want to talk about this (or SWTOR in general), my Tumblr is [songofdefiance](https://songofdefiance.tumblr.com). Feel free to reach out!


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